Forest Protection

BASF recognizes the importance of protecting the natural capital and in this paper especially the world's forests for the wellbeing of the environment and society. We acknowledge our responsibility as an actor in various value chains and therefore strive to end deforestation and conversion within those. We want to help to achieve the SDG 15 (life on land) and we support governments to end deforestation. Our initiatives focus on promoting sustainable land management practices and protecting biodiversity, contributing to the health of ecosystems for future generations.

Consequently, the following principles shape our ambition:

• We support the conservation of High Carbon Stock (HCS) forests, High Conservation Value (HCV) areas, peatlands and equivalent ecological and culturally important landscapes connected to the origins of our supply chains.
• We strive for no development on HCS forests or HCV areas. Any development activity must utilize international best practice guidance from HCS Approach, from the High Conservation Value Resource Network (HCVRN).
• We strive for no development on peatland regardless of depth and strict application of best management practices for existing developments on peat and no use of fire as a preparation of any area development within our supply chains.
• We do expect any land use change development activity to respect the rights of indigenous and local communities to give or withhold their Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) where they hold legal, communal or customary rights in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) and the HCS Approach social requirements.
• We support initiatives aimed at reforestation or the restoration of degraded lands.

BASF purchases a range of renewable raw materials, including palm (kernel) oil, which is associated with high deforestation risks. To address these risks, our detailed Palm Commitment has been in effect since 2011, was extended in 2015 and renewed and revised in 2025, put into practice through our Palm Sourcing Policy. Soy is another renewable raw material associated with deforestation risks. BASF is committed to fostering deforestation-free soy value chains by engaging suppliers and aligning with credible sustainability standards. We aim to ensure that our soy sourcing activities support forest protection. We will drive compliance with our ambitions and principles across all our renewable value chains.

BASF is committed to the following actions:

• Sourcing responsibly in accordance with our Supplier Code of Conduct, our Principles for the Responsible Sourcing of Renewable Raw Materials and the ambitions set out in this document.
• Collaboration and partnering with suppliers to maximize their sustainability performance in line with our ambition.
• Evaluating and assessing current and potential non-compliance risks associated with our renewable raw material sourcing.
• Utilizing appropriate monitoring for non-compliance within our supply chains to actively drive adherence to our ambitions and to support the evaluation of non-compliance risks.
• Implement programs for handling non-compliance cases.
• Offering publicly accessible grievance mechanisms at ethicspoint.basf.com/en
• Developing and implementing sustainable sourcing strategies for raw materials associated with non-compliance risks.
• Striving for appropriate public transparency and traceability in our supply chains.
• Supporting relevant certification schemes by including them in specific sourcing strategies and advocating for their further development and standardization.

BASF operates production sites in a way that respects natural resources. The general objective of BASF’s environmental protection effort is to minimize the impact of our operations on people and on the environment.

• Operating its facilities responsibly, by protecting ecosystems including forests through the reduction of emissions to air and water and reducing waste.
• Systematically evaluate sustainability topics (e.g. potential impact on forests, biodiversity criteria) as an integral part of investment decisions regarding the construction of new sites and the expansion of existing sites. These may include compensation measures for the loss of forests, e.g. investments in local reforestation programs.
• Ensuring compliance with deforestation-related laws and regulations, e.g. EUDR.
• The protection of forests from negative impacts of our operations, if applicable, is always pursued in collaboration with local partners and competent authorities.

As BASF provides products and solutions for various industries, it is essential to consider the potential impacts that their use may have on forests. Our product portfolio assessment tool, TripleS (Sustainable Solution Steering), plays an important role by analyzing various aspects of product stewardship and biodiversity. Agricultural products have specific touchpoints to forests, as the sector is one of the main drivers of deforestation and therefore farmers in many regions play a crucial role in forest protection.

BASF is committed to the following actions:

• Collaborating along the value chain with various stakeholders to enhance the sustainability of the value chains and foster market transformation through sustainable solutions.
• Conducting research to provide (animal) farmers with the best farming technologies, including, chemical and biological plant protection, digitalization, seeds and traits, nitrogen and phosphorus management products, solutions to improve nutrient and energy utilization form feed, amongst others.
• Providing feed additives that enhance sustainability in livestock farming by improving the utilization of energy, protein, and phosphate from plant raw materials and by reducing losses through products for feed preservation
• Partnering with certification schemes for agricultural commodities to contribute to a sustainable agriculture actively promotes deforestation-free and conversion-free practices.
• Refining BASF development tools such as Eco- Efficiency Analysis and TripleS. to enhance forest protection evaluations.
• Ensuring compliance with deforestation-related laws and regulations, e.g. EUDR.

Continuous stakeholder engagement is of utmost importance to BASF. We will work collaboratively with value chain partners, governments and civil society to conserve forests and to drive our ambition stated here. BASF partners with various organizations, including Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), Forum Nachhaltiges Palmöl, Brazilian Coalition on Climate, Forests and Agriculture and the High Carbon Stock Approach Steering Group. We are open to partnering with additional relevant stakeholder groups and organizations to raise awareness, drive the necessary market transformation and to achieve impact on the ground.

Collaborative programs such as Mata Viva, an initiative established in Brazil to drive reforestation and preserve native forests demonstrate BASF’s commitment to preventing deforestation and promoting reforestation.

By using sustainability reporting frameworks, we aim to enhance transparency and accountability. We will continue to report publicly on BASF’s progress in achieving the ambitions set out in this document.