We create change
Innovations from field to table
From growing crops in the field to the packaging that protects the food we eat; every choice affects the world around us. With innovative solutions for farming and food production, BASF is rethinking how food is produced and consumed. Discover how we are creating change to feed a growing population.
From seeding to harvest, farmers around the world face huge challenges: shifting weather patterns, limited natural resources, and the needs of a growing population. By 2050, farmers need to produce as much food as has been eaten in all human history, increasing productivity by 50% using the same amount of arable land (FAO).
Digital tools are a proven solution to help manage these challenges. Using sensors, satellite images, drones, data and AI, they allow farmers to analyze soil quality, crop health, weather, and other variables to make more informed decisions about planting, fertilization, and pest and disease control.
BASF’s agricultural business is determined to bring digital technologies to more than 400 million hectares of farmland cumulatively by 2030. At the forefront of this digital transformation is the BASF team behind xarvio® Digital Farming Solutions.
Our programmers, analysts, agronomists and digital experts develop innovative solutions that can pinpoint agronomic recommendations right down to individual fields. Technologies such as smart sprayers and drones further complement our digital farming platforms. This data-driven approach ensures crops receive exactly the right inputs in the right place at the right time, leading to higher and better quality yields, reduced emissions, and less impact on natural resources and the environment. Simultaneously, farmers can save time and money through greater efficiency and convenience.
Transforming the world’s food systems is a huge undertaking. No single farmer or company can do it alone. But at BASF we believe that our skills and resources can act as catalysts for change in the world of agriculture.
From today´s carbonara to tomorrow´s compost
It is a familiar moment: the pasta is ready in minutes, the sauce is poured, the meal is finished — and all that remains are the empty packets in your hand. You pause between the recycling bins and the general waste, knowing the choice matters, but not quite sure that recycling is the right answer. And until now, the answer has not been easy.
Flexible food packaging has a difficult job to do. It must hold fatty, liquid, and acidic contents, which is why it often relies on a thin plastic barrier lining on the inside. The problem begins once that layer is bonded to paper or cardboard: what looks sustainable on the outside can become frustratingly hard — or even impossible — to recycle with paper waste, especially when traces of food are left behind.
That is the challenge BASF scientists set out to solve with ecovio®, a certified compostable bioplastic designed to rethink how flexible food packaging works at the end of its life. If it is used as a thin protective layer on paper or board, it protects against grease, liquids, oxygen and moisture while allowing the food-soiled packaging to go into the compost bin or, if it is only slightly soiled, to be recycled with paper waste — helping make the responsible choice the easier one.
Tailored to different food ingredients, flexible packaging with an ecovio barrier can be disposed of alongside food waste — whether in home compost or industrial composting systems, where country regulations allow. Instead of becoming a dead end in landfills or incineration, used packaging can increase the generation of compost that contributes to soil health and supports the growth of new food, turning packaging waste into part of a wider natural cycle.
Sometimes innovation is not about changing everything at once but about redesigning the everyday things we barely notice. And when flexible packaging is made to increase organic recycling by paying attention to crucial details, this can help move food packaging closer to a true circular loop.
There are also other innovations for packaging that keep your favorite foods fresh while protecting the planet
Imagine your favorite cheese wrapped in a material that not only preserves its quality but is also recyclable. Picture a bottle made from paper — designed to hold liquids while seamlessly fitting into existing recycling systems.
Have you ever bitten into a sandwich only to find the bread soggy from the tomato, struggled with a watermelon that’s too large to eat alone, or shed tears while chopping onions? BASF has tackled these everyday challenges with innovative solutions, improving how we experience food daily.
Using conventional seed breeding techniques, BASF’s experts have developed new fruit and vegetable varieties to meet customer needs. The BASF Intense™ tomato line is designed to retain its juice after cutting, preserving its texture and flavor. Perfect for sandwiches and salads, it also offers a longer shelf life and reduced risk of bacteria.
BASF also recognized the need for smaller-sized crops, which led to the creation of Kisy, the first snack watermelon under 1 kg.
