New digital solution at BASF Coatings to calculate the CO₂ footprint of its product portfolio

• Transparent emission data across a portfolio of more than 120,000 products 

• BASF Coatings can measure product carbon footprints based on facts and identify levers for reduction for the customer 

• Customers can also obtain insights into impact categories beyond CO₂ 
   

BASF Coatings has launched a new digital solution to calculate the carbon footprint (Product Carbon Footprint, PCF) of its sales portfolio. The solution replaces an internally developed application that BASF Coatings has used for several years to provide reliable CO₂ data to customers worldwide. 

The company now has an agile, real-time, auditable, and globally applicable CO₂ data basis for 120,000 sales products. All product‑related greenhouse gas emissions, from raw material procurement and transport to energy use in production, are calculated uniformly, consistently, and with system support. This provides the foundation for traceable CO₂ accounting, particularly for complex, multi‑variant products such as paints with many color variants. These CO₂ data give customers a factual basis for decision‑making and support them in pursuing their sustainability targets. 

“For our customers, climate protection is becoming ever more important. With our tools, we can provide them with reliable data and, on that basis, support them with solutions,” says Dr. Markus Piepenbrink, Head of Global Sustainability, BASF Coatings. “Today, for example, we already offer customers the possibility to reduce the CO₂ footprint of selected products through the use of alternative raw materials and renewable energy.” 

The central element of the new PCF tool is the integration of CO₂ data for more than 25,000 globally sourced raw materials. In addition, the tool takes into account the individual energy flows from more than 30 BASF Coatings production sites worldwide. This enables precise capture of emissions, even for product variants. A unique advancement is the inclusion of further impact categories beyond CO₂ which enable further key insights for the development of targeted solutions to enhance customers' sustainability. The global rollout of the new system at all BASF Coatings production sites was carried out step by step and in close coordination with the system supplier SAP. As the first and largest provider of surface solutions, the company is now adopting SAP Sustainability Footprint Management (SFM). 

“By introducing SFM, we bring together sustainability and digitization and create reliable transparency for us and our customers,” says Maximilian Bauer, Technical Project Manager Global Sustainability, BASF Coatings. 

GLASS Tool complements CO₂ assessment with a process perspective 

In addition to the product accounting solution, BASF Coatings uses the GLASS (Global Life Cycle Assessment of Automotive Surface Solutions) tool for OEMs and the EcoImpact Assessment tool for bodyshops to support customers as a value-added service. These applications enable a modular as well as holistic view and analysis along the entire painting process and provide customers with data‑driven approaches towards process optimization. This enables for working together with customers to identify opportunities for improvement across the entire application chain – optimizing efficiency, quality, and sustainability, including reducing emissions beyond the BASF Coatings product itself. In its combination of life‑cycle analysis, sector‑specific expertise, depth of information and digital applicability, the GLASS Tool is currently unique on the market. 

Climate protection as a strategic focus 

The use of digital tools such as the new PCF calculation solution and the GLASS Tool is part of BASF Coatings’ comprehensive sustainability strategy. The company aims to reduce its own CO₂ footprint by 40% by 2030 compared with the 2018 baseline. To achieve this, BASF Coatings leverages measures across the entire value chain, and in addition to sustainable raw material sourcing and transport solutions, relies on renewable energy and the use of renewable (certified mass balance approach) or recycled (ChemCycling®) feedstocks. 

More information on sustainability at BASF Coatings: www.basf-coatings.com/Sustainability 

About BASF Coatings 

BASF Coatings is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings as well as applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries. We create advanced performance solutions and drive performance, design and new applications to meet our partners’ needs all over the world. We share skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific. In 2024, our businesses achieved global sales of about €3.8 billion.  

BASF Coatings – Driven by passion and science, we always go beyond the surface. For more information, visit www.basf-coatings.com and follow us on LinkedIn. 

About BASF 

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.