BASF’s segment structure allows for a differentiated steering of our businesses according to their market-specific competitive environment. It increases transparency regarding the results of our segments and divisions and highlights the importance of the Verbund and value chains to our business success. BASF aims to clearly position its businesses against their relevant competitors and establish a high-performance organization to enable BASF to be successful in an increasingly competitive market environment.
The Chemicals segment comprises the Petrochemicals and Intermediates divisions and is the cornerstone of BASF’s Verbund structure. It supplies the other segments with basic chemicals and intermediates, contributing to the organic growth of our key value chains. Alongside internal transfers, customers include the chemical and plastics industries. The segment’s competitiveness is strengthened by technological leadership and operational excellence.
The Materials segment is composed of the Performance Materials division and the Monomers division. The segment offers advanced materials and their precursors for new applications and systems. Its product portfolio includes isocyanates and polyamides as well as inorganic basic products and specialties for plastics and plastics processing.
The Industrial Solutions segment consists of the Dispersions & Pigments and the Performance Chemicals divisions. The segment develops and markets ingredients and additives for industrial applications, such as polymer dispersions, pigments, resins, electronic materials, antioxidants and additives. Its customers come from key industries such as automotive, plastics and electronics.
The Surface Technologies segment bundles chemical solutions for surfaces with the Catalysts and Coatings divisions. Its product spectrum includes catalysts and battery materials for the automotive and chemical industries, surface treatments, colors and coatings.
The Nutrition & Care segment comprises the Care Chemicals division and the Nutrition & Health division. The segment produces ingredients and solutions for consumer applications in the areas of nutrition, home and personal care. Its customers include food and feed producers as well as the pharmaceutical, cosmetics, detergent and cleaner industries.
The Agricultural Solutions segment consists of the division of the same name. As an integrated provider, its portfolio comprises fungicides, herbicides, insecticides and biological crop protection products, as well as seeds and seed treatment products. Furthermore, Agricultural Solutions offers farmers innovative solutions, including those based on digital technologies, combined with practical advice.
Activities that are not allocated to any of the segments are recorded under Other. These include other businesses, which comprise commodity trading, engineering and other services, as well as rental income and leases. Discontinued operations and all remaining activities after divestitures not previously reported under Other have also been reported here since January 1, 2019.
Some of the investments accounted for using the equity method are not an integral part of the BASF Group. These include, in particular, the shares in Wintershall Dea GmbH, Kassel/Hamburg, Germany, and Solenis UK International Ltd., London, United Kingdom. To increase reporting transparency, these are classified since January 2020 as purely financial investments and reported separately from the shareholdings that are integral to the main business activities of the BASF Group. One material equity-accounted interest that has been classified as integral is BASF-YPC Company Ltd., Nanjing, China. Consequently, in the future, income from non-integral companies accounted for using the equity method will no longer be presented in the BASF Group’s EBIT and EBIT before special items (reported under “Other”), but under net income from shareholdings. Due to its increased significance, this will be presented as a separate subtotal within income before income taxes and is no longer part of the financial result. Integral and non-integral investments accounted for using the equity method will also be shown separately in the balance sheet. The statement of income for 2019 has been restated accordingly.