20 years cool: BASF celebrates two decades of refrigeration ester in Shanghai

• BASF marks 20 years of ester base stock production at its Jinshan site in Shanghai, China
• BASF’s Innovation Campus enables fast customer co-development and short time-to-market
• Next-generation synthetic esters offer both biodegradability and low carbon footprint

Shanghai, China, May 7, 2026 – BASF marks 20 years of ester base stock production at its Jinshan site in Shanghai, reinforcing its position as leading global supplier for synthetic esters for refrigeration lubricants. The Jinshan site is part of BASF’s global production network and key strategic pillar for serving customers and partners in Asia Pacific and worldwide.

To meet the rapidly growing demand for efficient and reliable cooling solutions, BASF doubled the production capacity at the Jinshan site three years ago. Growth is driven particularly by developing markets, where urbanization, rising incomes and high population density are accelerating demand for affordable and energy-efficient cooling. Cooling systems rely on compressors that circulate refrigerants under varying pressures and temperatures. Their efficiency and reliability depend on high-performance refrigeration oils that are precisely matched to the refrigerant. BASF’s SYNATIVE^® ester base stocks form the foundation of these oils and deliver essential benefits including high thermal and oxidative stability, excellent lubricity, low volatility and strong compatibility with modern refrigerants. These properties help improve energy efficiency and extend system lifetime.

In addition to refrigeration applications, the demand for synthetic esters is increasing in industrial applications like biohydraulic fluids, in liquid cooling of data centers, where digitalization and AI require advanced thermal management, and in electric mobility, where effective cooling and optimal lubricity are essential for e-driveline performance.

Innovation Campus enables fast product development

The Jinshan site is closely linked to BASF’s global Innovation Campus in Shanghai, enabling fast customer co-development and short time-to-market. By combinging local production, global R&D expertise, and the Synative product portfolio, BASF supports future-ready lubricant and cooling solutions.

“As the demand for synthetic esters continues to grow in Asia Pacific and globally, our strong comittment and close customer partnerships are key,” said Dr. Tanja Rost, Vice President Lubricant Components at BASF. “Our leadership in synthetic ester base stocks, our strong R&D capabilties and local presence in China enable us to help customers develop next-generation refrigeration, lubricant and cooling solutions that adress current and future regulatory and market requirements.”

Next-generation synthetic esters for a low carbon footprint

BASF synthetic esters portfolio comprises fully saturated and unsaturated esters, products based on both petrochemical and renewable raw materials. In line with ecolabel and other environmental requirements, synthetic esters represent state of the art technology for environmentally sensitive applications due to their biodegradability, low toxicity and high renewable content of up to 90 per cent. In addition BASF offers low product carbon footprint solutions via a biomass balance approach, supporting differentiation and additional CO₂-claims.

About BASF’s fuel and lubricant solutions
With leading technical expertise, a comprehensive portfolio, and global presence, BASF’s fuel and lubricant soultions serve customers of various industries close to their markets. We offer solutions for the automotive, lubricant and other industries including engine coolants and brake fluids, synthetic base stocks, lubricant additives as well as fuel performance packages and polyisobutenes. For more information, please visit www.basf.com/fuel-lubricant-solutions.

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 108,000 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 around €60 billion in 2025. 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.

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