Sustainability

Starting Ventures

Through Starting Ventures, BASF develops business solutions that empower people with low incomes to achieve a better quality of life. Starting Ventures demonstrates how we live our corporate purpose: we create chemistry for a sustainable future.

More than one billion people have escaped from extreme poverty since 1990. While this is a remarkable achievement, four billion people – the majority of the world’s population – still live on low incomes. Furthermore, they will account for the largest share of the global population growth by 2050. Worldwide, they strive to improve their quality of life. They aim to obtain better employment and to afford better food, housing, and hygiene – for themselves as well as for future generations.

Video: Starting Ventures – Partnering for a sustainable future

The opportunity

All sectors of society can empower low-income people to achieve their aims. This includes the state and civil society, but also the corporate sector as part of society. By integrating them into their value chains as customers, distributors, and suppliers, companies can create a positive impact on their lives. Opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship will improve their livelihoods. Better access to affordable products will meet their basic needs. For companies, these are also opportunities for innovation and growth.

As a globally operating chemical company, BASF is well positioned to fulfill this role. Our broad market access and the development of our portfolio towards downstream industries gives us the chance to create a positive impact on the daily lives of millions of low-income people throughout the world. By taking this chance, we also create opportunities to develop new business and to strengthen our supply chain. This contributes to our long-term success.

Sri Venkataramana Higher Primary School, Kulai (Mangalore) promotes the message of water conservation with prominent display boards in and around the neighboring community.

Our approach

Over the past decade, BASF has earned a track record of larger projects that succeeded in creating a positive social impact, while creating value for our business. The close cooperation with civil society, the public sector, and partners along our value chain has been key to fostering success.

The projects have provided a rich learning experience that have enabled us to take the next step with our corporate program Starting Ventures. Through innovative business models and cross-sector partnerships, the projects develop business solutions that address people with low incomes throughout the world. Starting Ventures thereby contributes to our long-term success, while empowering people with low incomes to achieve a better quality of life.

The corporate program Starting Ventures provides resources to our business units to explore these new means of intrapreneurship. Furthermore, the program facilitates sharing of experience and expertise across the entire organization. The selection of project ideas by a central steering committee is based on criteria in three areas: social impact and impact on the environment as well as innovative business models. The UN Sustainable Development Goals form the basis for the criteria on social impact and environmental impact.

Since 2016, the internal central steering committee has chosen a total of 36 projects. Out of this selection, 21 projects started since 2022 and have either been completed or are currently in progress.

The projects

Africa

Sustainable BIXA Supply Chain

Country: Burkina Faso
Start: 2023
Division: EM

This project aims to convert the conventional production of Bixa Orellana, a plant important in the dying process, to a bio-certified and sustainable production as well as to improve the annual income of women in charge of sorting the plants by developing micro credit projects.

Achievements:

Establishment of a sustainable, traceable supply chain
Organic certification of Bixa Orellana cultivation
Improved income for 20 women through micro-credit development

TRI'CYCLES

Country: Ivory Coast
Start: 2022
Division: EU

TRI’CYCLES project aims to create a sustainable and economic system on plastic waste recovery in Ivory Coast. Working with two partners, the project’s ambition is to contribute to a Circular Economy by recovering plastic waste, create jobs, educate people and set-up a profitable Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) mechanical recycling system.

Achievements:

Collection of approx. 4 tons of EPS (Sept 2023 to Feb 2024)
Creation of 13 jobs along the value chain
Ongoing women empowerment training

Coolants for Sustainble Growth

Country: Nigeria
Start: 2022
Division: EV

The Coolants for Sustainable Growth project aims to contribute to the UN SDGs by creating jobs and economic growth as well as a sustainable production and consumption. To reduce the waste coming from damaged cooling systems, a blending plant for high quality ready-mix coolants was installed. Additionally, to improve the earning potential of local roadside mechanics, formal auto service training was started.

Achievements:

Coolant blending plant was set up by distributor
30 tons of coolants concentrate sold to distributor (Q1 2024)
Mechanics training curriculum formulated, and 150 mechanics set to be trained

In Vessel Decentralized Composting

Country: Kenya
Start: 2022
Division: PM

Waste management has been a challenge in Kenya, with organic waste making up more than 65% of the waste found in our landfills. BASF and partners conceptualized the In Vessel Decentralized Composting Project, to provide an innovative circular economy waste management solution.

Achievements:

Creating a new value chain for organic waste with 15 tons of organic waste processed at the facility
Advocacy for the development of the Sustainable Waste Management Act of 2021 in Kenya
First production of garbage bags from Ecovio® biopolymer resin in the continent

Container Management Egypt

Country: Egypt
Start: 2022
Division: AP

The container management project aims to reduce health, safety, environmental and trade risks. To recover agrochemical containers and reduce counterfeit ones in Egypt the project fosters awareness and set up a comprehensive empty container collection system. With this the projects contributes to a Circular Economy and helps to create jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for young men and women in the communities.

Achievements:

65 trainings to 1,300 farmers on container management
Collection and recycling of 14 tons of shredded plastic to create an interlock products and return it back to mega farms for their usage
Creation of a circular economy by realizing the first pilot project in Egypt to recover empty pesticides containers

Highland Food System

Country: Kenya
Start: 2023
Division: PM

To reduce post-harvest losses due to the lack of storage in the potato value chain, BASF and partners are designing and fabricating decentralized mobile storage containers, insulated using BASF’s Elastospray® LWP system.

Achievements:

Construction of two storage containers relying on mechanical ventilation for temperature control

STAR Project

Country: Nigeria
Start: 2022
Division: EUE

500,000+ takeaway items daily end up as waste in Lagos, destined to become ocean microplastics. By mechanically recycling this food-grade Polystyrene, #STAR aims to validate and deploy a total-value-to-society business model which empowers waste workers and reintegrates ocean-bound plastic into a viable circular value chain.

Achievements:

Achieved 1st circular pathway for rPS (expanded Polystyrene) in Nigeria: a decentralised solution in partnership with social entrepreneurs and global recyclers
Prevented thirty-one 40-ft containers (volumetric equivalent) of loose EPS, generated in the coastal city of Lagos, from ending up as ocean microplastics
Trained 40 waste pickers to handle EPS, cascading knowledge and income above minimum wage to a network of 200+ waste workers in 2 years

America

Protecting People & Planet

Country: Brazil
Start: 2023
Division: AP

The project aims to encourage biodiversity conservation and promote forest restoration. Therefore, BASF supports family farmers to develop a social business in forest restoration and trains them on responsible use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), generating additional income for the families.

Achievements:

50 family farmers engaged in the project
18,000 trees planted
5,000 PPE kits distributed

Empowered Women

Country: Colombia
Start: 2022
Division: EM

The project aims to highlight the role of women and improve the quality of life for communities displaced by violence. This is done through the construction of a social enterprise with an innovative business model focused on the development and commercialization of a portfolio of specialized cleaning solutions for the institutional and industrial sectors.

Achievements:

Empowering women through our training process, resulting in an enhances quality of life for them and their families
Project honored at the BASF South America Awards, with extensive coverage and positioning in the renowned magazine Creating Chemistry

More Technological Cooperatives

Country: Brazil
Start: 2023
Division: EV

This project aims to create more reliable, healthy, and financially sustainable waste management processes through the donation of trinamiX equipment and mobile devices to recycling cooperatives. Enabling an improvement in the sorting process and consequently facilitating the entire process of mechanical recycling of plastics.

Achievements:

Reduction of the volume of unidentified plastics and increase of the reliability and the profitability of recycled plastics
Reduction of the volume of unclassified plastics sent to landfills and reduction of CO₂ emissions
Positive impact on the income of cooperative members through greater gains in volume and profitability

Standing Forest

Country: Brazil
Start: 2023
Division: EM

The project aims to develop innovative and responsible sourced solutions for our Personal Care customers, through the sustainable use of non-timber forest products from the Amazonian bioeconomy, contributing to social development of the region.

Achievements:

Environmental monitoring study on the area of the reserve, establishing the baseline for land use and land occupancy categories
Consolidate partnerships network for value chain development and training program for collectors
Find noble uses to current residues and off-spec ingredients from oilseeds production, aiming to generate additional income opportunities for local associations

Asia-Pacific

NakornNont Composting

Country: Thailand
Start: 2022
Division: PM

The NakornNont Composting project is a collaboration among BASF and partners, for a study on food waste streams by focusing on food waste management including separation, collection, and composting.

Achievements:

Improved food waste management and awareness among voluntary participants
Increased usage of compostable bags
Partners refer to the key findings from this project as a reference to drive initiatives through a new National Act on food waste management

Low Toxicity Latex

Country: Thailand
Start: 2022
Division: EM

Consumers who have skin allergies or sensitivity are required to use products that are free from hazardous chemicals to avoid any adverse reactions. Therefore, low toxicity latex provides a high-performance product which combines safety, hygiene and environmental friendliness at the same time.

Achievements:

Sulphur and accelerator free formulation for latex products (rubber glove and finger cot)
High performance latex products with TIS compliance

Better Quality of Farm to Fork through LINE Messaging App

Country: Thailand
Start: 2022
Division: AP

The new digital solution Better Quality of Farm to Fork through LINE Messaging App promotes safe pesticide use through animated videos for all who use pesticides in agricultural production to prevent or control pests, diseases, and weeds and offers certificates upon completion of 12 e-learning quizzes.

Achievements:

Around 700 farmers completed the e-learning course and were rewarded with a BASF PPE kit

May layers give us eggs

Country: Thailand
Start: 2023
Division: EN

The project is an initiative of BASF and partners to combat malnutrition and poverty of students at schools in the rural areas of the Northern Thailand.

Achievements:

Provide sustainable food supply at school and better nutrition to the children suffering from malnutrition
Create a sustainable living model by training the children to raise their own layer hens with the knowledge of the right farming practice and proper feeding nutrition
Create a lifelong nutrition & business model which can create the income for children with entrepreneurial drive and creative mindset

East Kutai Sustainable Landscape

Country: Indonesia
Start: 2023
Division: EM

This project creates a multistakeholder platform to support local communities with land-use planning and improves and accelerates agricultural practices and compliance with sustainability standards like RSPO.

Achievements:

Viable and resilient production systems and inclusive market connection systemsto connect oil palm smallholders with oil palm mills
Improved readiness for compliance with (inter)national standards and/or certification

Innovation Food Cluster

A shared value partnership to support local food producers and their infrastructure (in particular food warehouses) in the nutrition, agriculture and construction sector.

Sustainable Entrepreneurs

BASF is committed to help grow the business of the SSP’s long term and will use this platform to launch innovative crop protection solutions that will support the projected growth of soybean production, thus supporting the eradication of hunger.

BASF Lighting

In order to protect school children from long-term exposure to blue light BASF is providing these innovative LED bulbs to selected public schools in China’s less developed regions.

Lampung smallholder project

The Lampung smallholder project will strengthen smallholders’ commitment to produce palm oil in a sustainable way, protect and respect the environment as well as improve labor practices and relations with the community in Lampung area, Indonesia.

Better Environment – Better Life

Together with partners (e.g. CCIA – China Cleaning Industry Association) BASF is co-developing more eco-friendly, efficient, water saving cleaning solutions.

Allin Kawsay

In order to empower people to proactively change their lives for the better, BASF has initiated the project Allin Kawsay that helps the people help themselves: smallholders receive training on good farming practices and learn to enhance their entrepreneurial skills.

Espacio Inclusivo

Together with other stakeholders BASF has created a partnership to provide professional trainings for young adults in the automotive painting sector.

Suvinil Painters Platform

In partnership with Fundação Espaço ECO® BASF provides a unique training course to prepare painters to become distinguished entrepreneurs sensitive to sustainability issues.

Super Grano

Natural sources like fatty fish are hardly affordable or accessible for most Brazilians. Rice is an affordable national diet, so that with SuperGrano – fortified Omega 3 rice – those health topics can be easily tackled.

ReciChain

Through a partnership with the non-profit organization Recicleiros, BASF would help to create waste segregation units in small to medium cities, as well as the training of waste pickers.

Find out more

Waste-2-Chemicals

With the Waste-2-Chemicals project in Lagos, plastic waste from residents is collected, sorted and subsequently converted into pyrolysis oil.

#Hapi

Smallholder farmers face numerous challenges. #Hapi aims to address these challenges by delivering to Egyptian tomato growers real-time, tailor-made recommendations using mobile technology such as SMS and Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

Container Management Egypt

This project contributes to creating a circular economy based on sound scientific and technical footing for the recycling of empty containers and production of acceptable end-use products that can help create jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities for young men and women in the communities.

Mechanical Recycling PS (Project STAR)

The project aims to leverage on existing manual waste collection infrastructure developed by Wecyclers ( a social entrepreneur) for the establishment of a sustainable value chain for the mechanical recycling of expanded polystyrene (EPS).

Sikuani Women Planting Dreams

BASF together with the local partners are providing the Sikuani Women training, as well as agrichemicals and tools to increase the production.

Soluprat Empowered Women

The aim of the project is to empowerment women to be entrepreneurship by a collaborative business model of manufacturing home care products, using SOLUPRAT as main business line, allowing them to have an extra income for their families, be more independent and having a protagonist role in Pasca community.

Novasil Flour Fortification

With the help of partners this innovative business approach has various positive effects e.g. on health status, mortality rate and public health.

In Vessel Composting Kenya

Together with our composting partner Terra Safi, BASF East Africa intends to conduct a trial with Terra Safi’s in-vessel composting solutions that has the potential to decentralize industrial composting and increase compost output at community level in Mombasa/Kwale county, taking care of almost 450mt of organic waste that is generated by the Tourism Industry in that county (which also unfortunately has a 40% youth unemployment rate).

Coolants for Sustainable Growth Nigeria

Nigeria’s coolant market by creating consumer awareness regarding usage of good quality coolants thereby driving change in consumer behaviour. We have identified a distributor who will set up and run a coolants blending plant at own cost. BASF will supply coolant concentrate and drive consumer awareness through digital tools & above the line marketing.
On the social front we propose to upgrade the skills of Informal Auto Mechanics through training . We target Minimum of 300 mechanics over a 5 year period. With each mechanic supporting a family of 5 pax , the project will impact 1500 people directly.

Line Messaging App for Farmers

With the advent of technology for communication, messaging apps has been very popular in most countries over taking mediums such as sms, and same is true in Thailand where almost every household has phone and uses LINE app not only to communicate but also to receive news. This project aims to develop a communication platform whereby business of Agriculrutral Solutions Thailand along with stewardship activities are both communicated to the farmers through the LINE app.

NakornNont Composting Thailand

Using an organic waste bag made of ecovio, it can support the organic recycling model that the bag with good technical performance can help to make food waste separation and collection including disposal much cleaner, less complicated and more hygienic. Moreover, food waste and organic waste bag itself can process into soiled amendment, like compost under industrial compost condition. With BASF solution, the project can address the municipality need to reduce amount of organic waste to landfill and better manage organic waste with composting solution.

TRI'Cycles (year 2)

TRI’CYCLES project is aiming to create a sustainable & economic system project on plastic waste
recovery in Ivory Coast, taking care of mechanical recycling of expanded polystyrene (EPS).

The project is moving forward with a locale recycler (Recyplast) for the “industrial process & education in schools with an NGO (MoiJeuTri).

The West Bengal ecovio^® Plus Project

The project is designed to establish and showcase the benefits of compostable packaging and bags and to help reinforce the relevant Indian policies.

Low Toxicity Latex

The project will be developed for sulphur-free latex products, useless chemicals and without Amine

group of accelerators to avoid nitrosamine from accelerator and sulphur. Alternative vulcanization system to be considered to use are Peroxide or radiation for more safety and healthy, and low toxicity latex products such as rubber gloves for medical, baby nipple, food processing and electronics application.

Sustainable Development Goals icons. Which create framework for sustainable business practices at the economic, social and environmental levels

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.