Global Home
Who we are

Innovations for a sustainable future

Optimism is what drives all human beings. At BASF, this motivates us every day to develop solutions for the greatest challenges of our time – so we can better protect the climate, make optimal use of limited resources and provide food, energy and clean water for a booming world population.

Bild_Video_optimistic.JPG

Innovations made BASF the leading chemical company. Today our customers and the whole society are more than ever looking for innovative solutions. We all need answers for problems like climate change, scarcity of resources and marine littering. As the most innovative chemical company we take a special responsibility here, because innovations based on chemistry are key to those answers.

   

With our Carbon Management Program we set a benchmark in achieving the climate protection targets, with our  ChemCycling approach we aim towards a circular economy. We also co-founded the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a global effort to end plastic waste in the environment. This is how we understand our corporate purpose – "We create chemistry for a sustainable future". 

Vorsitzender des Vorstands: Legal, Taxes, Insurance & Intellectual Property; Corporate Development; Corporate Communications & Government Relations; Senior Executive Human Resources; Investor Relations; Compliance; BASF 4.0; Corporate Technology & Operational Excellence; Digitalization in Research & Development; Innovation Management

Martin Brudermüller

Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE

Our innovative power 

                              … is based on efficient research and development. We build on our Know-How Verbund: the great creativity, the specific skills and the broad knowledge of our networks. It is all about developing solutions together … 

for a sustainable future.
  

Immer mehr Elektroautos werden jedes Jahr weltweit zugelassen. Gleichzeitig sind die Rohstoffe für ihre Batterien begrenzt und deren Gewinnung ist mit negativen Umweltauswirkungen verbunden. BASF-Forscher am Standort Ludwigshafen arbeiten daher an einem neuen chemischen Verfahren, damit das in der Batterie enthaltene Lithium in hochreiner Form zurückgewonnen werden kann. Dabei werden zudem Abfälle vermieden und der CO2-Fußabdruck gegenüber bisherigen Recyclingverfahren gesenkt. Im Recyclingprozess entsteht die sogenannte „Schwarze Masse“, die von Laborant Stefan Schleicher (links) und Chemikerin Dr. Birgit Gerke (rechts) aufgearbeitet wird.

Facts and figures 2020

~10,000

employees in research and development (R&D) worldwide

> 2 billion €

expenses for R&D

16.7 billion €

sales from Accelerator products

~950

new patents worldwide

In the new research building B007, BASF research moves closer together. Here, scientists from material physics, formulation and specialty chemicals research work door-to-door. They develop new solutions together with polymer chemists in the neighboring building. A bridge, shortening paths, interconnects the two buildings. 
Furthermore, open communication areas facilitate exchange between the scientific disciplines. This stimulates creative ideas, and benefits the efficient development of effective solutions.
Sabine Hirth (left), Karsten Seidel (middle left) and Bernhard von Vacano (middle right), from Material Physics, together with Fangfang Chu (right), chemist at Formulation Research, exchange experience and discuss research findings.

Collaborations in Alliances and networks with universities and institutes

We innovate in eight Academic Research Alliances and maintain close relations with approximately 250 universities, institutes and individual research groups around the world. Collaboration is all about bringing the right people together to find answers to the big challenges of today. 

Learn more

Research facts and figures 2017

~10,000

     employees in research and

      development worldwide

 

~70

      R&D locations worldwide

 

~80

     patents filed

~1,888 million

  expenditures in research and
    development in 2017

 

~3,000

                           R&D projects