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Haier Encouraging Employees and Consumers to Switch Off the Lights for Earth Hour

QINGDAO, China, March 26, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Haier, the world's No. 1 major home appliance brand, and its employees will shut off the lights at offices and at home across China, the US, and France for 1 hour at 8:30 PM local time today in support of the global sustainability awareness campaign, Earth Hour. Haier encourages its millions of consumers around the world to join us in celebrating our planet, and take a moment to think about how we can all do our part for a better world.

Held every year since 2007, Earth Hour is the largest global campaign for climate change awareness, with hundreds of millions of people, enterprises and cities participating in over 100 countries and territories. Participants are encouraged to switch their lights off for 1 hour at 8:30 PM local time to celebrate our planet. For 2011, the theme is "This Earth Hour, Go Beyond the Hour," to remind people to think about how they can do their part to improve the environment even after the hour is over and their lights are turned back on.

"With close to 70,000 employees worldwide, and consumers in over 160 countries, we felt that Haier's support for Earth Hour could be significant," said Ms. Zhang Tieyan, Director of Haier Global Branding Operations and Haier spokesperson. "Earth Hour shows how much people can achieve when they set their minds on the same goal. Haier is proud to be a part of this tremendous campaign, promoting a smarter life for a better planet."

Haier employees will lead the way by turning off the lights on March 26, 2011 and engaging consumers through various online and offline activities. In China, Haier launched a website at http://earthhour.haier.com--visited over 1.5 million times after only 10 days online--where visitors can "turn off the lights" on line and spread awareness through integrated sharing links to social media websites. Haier China is also directly engaging consumers with activities on popular online forums and blogging platforms.

In the US, Haier America employees in New York have also pledged to turn the lights off, and are encouraging consumers to do the same in videos and messages posted on YouTube and Facebook. The event will also be launching point for a month-long series of interactive environmentally focused content that the company will sponsor called the Smarter Life. Better Planet Challenge. Each day, Haier America will present an environmental advocate/expert in a new video and provide participants the opportunity to walk through simple steps to incorporating that lesson into their daily lives. Similarly, Haier France is urging its fans to join them in supporting Earth Hour, and to go beyond the hour, helping to make the earth a better place together.

Haier is a leader in the development of sustainable white goods solutions and has already designed many of the most environmentally and energy friendly appliances. In 2009, BusinessWeek China awarded Haier one of 10 companies for outstanding efforts to transform China's environment in its Greener China Business Award. In 2008, Haier helped Beijing organize the greenest Olympic Games ever as the event's official white goods sponsor, providing over 60,000 green appliances to Olympic facilities.

About Haier Group Co. Ltd

Founded in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, in 1984 under the leadership of ZHANG Ruimin, its current Chairman and CEO, Haier is the No. 1 major home appliances brand in the world and China. Haier products are distributed in more than 160 countries and regions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Global revenues amounted to RMB 135.7 billion (USD 207 billion) in 2010. Haier's profit growth is 8 times more than its revenue growth. Haier employs more than 60,000 people, including 10,000 outside China.

    Contact:

    Ms. Zhang Bin
    Haier Group Co. Ltd.
    Telephone: (86 0532) 8893-6105
    Email: zhangbin@haier.com

    Mr. Simon VERICEL
    Hill and Knowlton China
    Telephone: (86 10) 5861-7570
    Email: simon.vericel@hillandknowlton.com.cn

SOURCE Haier Group Co. Ltd.