- U36 -

The Sorptive Minerals Institute SMI is the notforprofit national trade association representing the producers and marketers of products made from absorbent clay minerals. Founded in 1970 SMI represents a multibillion dollar industry whose products have a wide variety of commercial industrial and consumerapplications from cat litter to cosmetics and from pharmaceuticals to paints. SMI serves as the marketing promotion and research arm of the absorbent clay industry with the goal of enhancing longrange growth and profitability. Cat Litter Absorbent clays have been used as cat litter since 1947.