Factbook

BASF Verbund

The Verbund concept is one of BASF’s key strengths, enabling us to intelligently link and steer our plants and permitting resource-efficient, CO₂-optimized and reliably managed production.

BASF currently operates six Verbund sites worldwide: two in Europe, two in North America and two in Asia. Our Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany, is the world’s largest chemical complex owned by a single company that was developed as an integrated network. We are building a seventh Verbund site in Zhanjiang, in the Chinese province of Guangdong.

BASF Verbund sites worldwide

The Verbund system creates efficient value chains that extend from basic chemicals all the way to industrial and final consumer products. In this system, chemical processes make use of energy more efficiently, achieve higher product yields and conserve resources. By-products of one process are used as starting materials for other processes. This saves raw materials and energy, avoids emissions, lowers logistics costs and leverages synergies. BASF operates 235 production sites worldwide, but the six Verbund sites produce more than 50% of our volumes. This is a testament to the importance and strength of the Verbund concept within BASF.

Strong sustainability performance

Value chains in integrated Verbund structures can be steered efficiently to conserve resources and reduce CO₂ emissions. The generation of our own steam and power in highly efficient and predominantly natural gas-based combined heat and power plants and our Verbund system are key to a CO₂-optimized energy supply at our sites. In the latter, waste heat generated during one plant’s production process is used as energy in other plants.

Thanks to combined heat and power generation and our continuously optimized Energy Verbund, we were able to prevent a total of 6.1 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions¹ in 2024 compared with separate, fossil-based power and steam generation without the use of the Verbund system.

1 Calculation basis: electricity conversion efficiency of conventional power plants 45%; steam generation efficiency 90%

Verbund flexibility and adaptability

Despite its complexity, the Production Verbund can respond flexibly to fluctuating demand and changing framework conditions. BASF also has flexibility in adapting its Verbund structures, as demonstrated by the measures to improve competitiveness of the Ludwigshafen site. As part of these measures, the following plants were shut down by the end of 2023: the TDI complex, one ammonia plant, the melamine plant and the fertilizer facility. Further shutdowns in the ammonia and adipic acid value chains will be implemented gradually until the end of 2026.

Last UpdateJune 2, 2025