BASF earns top score in 2016 Corporate Equality Index

Human Rights Campaign names BASF one of “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality”

FLORHAM PARK, NJ, November 18, 2015 -- BASF has received a 100 percent rating on the 2016 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), a national benchmarking survey on corporate policies and practices related to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) workplace equality. BASF joins nearly 400 businesses who earned “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality” status from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

“At BASF, we strive to attract and retain the best talent, which includes maintaining a culture and environment where all employees can be themselves,” said Matt Lepore, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, BASF Corporation, and the executive sponsor of ALLchemie, the company’s employee resource group supporting LGBT employees and allies. “We continuously look for ways to raise the bar when it comes to inclusion and diversity, and our third year of 100 percent CEI compliance is proof of that commitment.”

Supportive employment practices and benefits, as well as the inclusion efforts of the company’s employee resource groups, contributed to BASF earning this recognition.

The 2016 CEI rated more than 1,000 businesses and evaluated LGBT‑elated policies and practices, including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, inclusive health care benefits, competency programs and public engagement with the LGBT community.

“BASF not only meets these standards for workplace equality, it makes commitment to equality a fundamental aspect of its corporate values,” said HRC Foundation Workplace Equality Program Director Deena Fidas.

For more information on the 2016 Corporate Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit www.hrc.org/cei.

About BASF

BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 17,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $20.6 billion in 2014. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us.

At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

P-US-15-113