Sustainability

Energy

BASF reduces pollution by improving energy efficiency, increasing the share of renewable energy, and ensuring stable, safe plant operations. These measures directly lower air and water emissions, minimize energy‑related safety risks, and support the prevention of high‑severity environmental incidents.

BASF advances a comprehensive set of energy initiatives aimed at reducing pollution, lowering greenhouse‑gas emissions, and strengthening operational safety.

The company prioritizes energy efficiency, renewable energy, and technological innovation to minimize environmental impacts. Process optimization, asset modernization, and the BASF Verbund system significantly reduce energy use and associated air and water emissions. Reliable, efficient energy systems also support process safety by reducing operational disturbances and preventing high‑severity environmental incidents.

Overall, BASF’s energy initiatives contribute directly to pollution prevention, climate‑mitigation, and long‑term value creation by reducing emissions, enhancing safety, and supporting a resilient production.

Climate Protection

As an energy-intensive company, we are committed to the efficient use of energy and global climate protection and support the Paris Climate Agreement. We pursue the goal of climate neutrality and promote low-emission chemistry to enable the green transformation of our customers.

Renewable Energy

BASF aims to achieve net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050 – a significant goal. We intend to reduce our CO2 emissions by 25 percent by 2030 compared to 2018. This means that our demand for renewable energy will increase significantly in the coming years.

Steam crackers are the engines at the heart of the chemical industry. The high-temperature, gas-powered furnaces are essential for basic chemical production, but the process is energy-intensive and emits significant amounts of CO2. To address the climate and energy challenge, BASF, SABIC and Linde have inaugurated the world’s first demonstration plant for large-scale, electrically heated steam cracking furnaces in April 2024. Our goal for this project: Using renewable energy in this process and with that reducing CO2 emissions of one of the most energy-intensive production processes in the chemical industry by at least 90% compared to technologies commonly used today. In the eFurnace demonstration plant, two heating concepts are being tested in parallel: direct heating, where the electric current is directly supplied to the process pipes inside the reactor, and indirect heating, using radiant heat from heating elements surrounding the pipes. The prototype is fully integrated into the steam crackers at the Ludwigshafen site and is unique in this scale.

Climate-smart technologies

Ten basic chemical production technologies cause the majority of BASF's emissions - but they are also an indispensable starting point for all innovative products that enable our customers to protect the climate and make our everyday lives easier.