Sustainability
Sustainability at BASF
Chemistry for a sustainable future
We understand sustainability as an integral part of our strategy, goals, governance processes, and business models. We remain firmly committed to our climate protection goals in the future as well. Our ambition goes beyond the green transformation of our own production: since our key customer industries face enormous challenges in achieving their transformation goals, we aim to be the preferred chemical company that enables the green transformation of our customers through our diverse portfolio and our product and process innovations.
Chemistry for a sustainable future
We want to contribute to a better world with enhanced quality of life for everyone. That is why we have firmly anchored the three pillars of sustainability – the economy, environment and society – into our corporate purpose, our strategy, our targets and our operations. They are the core of what we do, a driver for growth and an element of our risk management.
We believe that chemistry has a critical role to play in achieving greater sustainability. We are determined to move forward in this respect.
More about Sustainability
Transformation of our production sites
Climate protection is of central importance to us. That is why we are driving our transformation towards climate neutrality in all regions. This is how we are reducing CO2 emissions at our major production sites.
Ludwigshafen, Germany
1 Sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Grant number 03SF0571A)
2 Funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate
3 Financed by the BMWK and by the European Union
Zhanjiang, China
BASF is currently building a new Verbund site in the Southern Chinese province of Guangdong, which will be the third-largest BASF site in the world when completed. By using the latest digital technologies and applying the highest safety standards, the site will become a model for smart manufacturing and sustainable production. BASF aims to power the entire site with 100% renewable electricity by the end of 2025 and has established several significant partnerships to secure its green power supply. These include a partnership with Mingyang to establish a joint venture to build an offshore wind farm off the coast of Zhanjiang, a partnership with the State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) for a 25-year power purchase agreement for renewable electricity and a partnership with China Energy Engineering Group Guangdong Electric Power Design Institute Co., Ltd. (GEDI) for cooperation in renewable energy and low-carbon development for the site.
Antwerp, Belgium
The Verbund site in Antwerp is the largest chemical site in Belgium and BASF's second largest. It wants to convert its electricity consumption to green power and thus avoid one million tons of CO2 per year. The Hollandse Kust Zuid offshore wind farm in the North Sea near the Dutch coast, half of which is owned by BASF, will help us achieve this. Our goal: Antwerp is to be the first petrochemical site ever to achieve net zero emissions, also thanks to new, energy-efficient technologies. We are therefore part of an industrial CCS project (Carbon Capture and Storage) at the Antwerp site. With the Kairos@C project, in cooperation with Air Liquide, BASF can avoid the emission of up to 1 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere every year from production.
Freeport, USA
Freeport is one of two Verbund sites in North America and was founded as the first BASF manufacturing site outside of Europe. The Freeport site is on its way to become the first Verbund site in the region to meet its entire imported electricity demand with energy from renewable sources. This is supported through various power purchase agreements for solar energy, that are ramping up through the end of 2026. One example of this is the twelve-year power purchase agreement with the solar energy project developer X-ELIO for the supply of 48 megawatts of solar power per year for Freeport. This project alone will further reduce CO2 emissions at the Freeport site and avoid more than 82,000 tons of CO2 annually*, which is equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 17,800 cars.
*Source: EPA GHG Equivalencies Calculator
Guaratinguetá, Brazil
The Guaratinguetá site in the São Paulo region of Brazil is committed to improve industrial waste management. The "Management of Waste and Recovery Cycle" (MAWERYC) program either avoids waste altogether or uses more sustainable technologies for different waste streams, thereby strengthening the circular economy. Since its introduction in 2020, the program has saved 3450 tons of CO2 and 2200 tons of waste per year. The site is also continuously improving its energy efficiency. The "Triple E Program", which stands for "Excellence in Energy Efficiency", has been running since 2015 and can save 9000 tons of CO2 at the site with its 115 approved initiatives. Due to its success, the program has already been implemented at approximately 65% of the sites in South America.