Performance Polymers

Sustainability

At BASF Performance Materials, we are dedicated to forging a sustainable future, a commitment we call #OurPlasticsJourney. And we invite you to join us on this journey.

Our passion lies in making a meaningful impact on both the environment and society. We believe our high-performance plastics are key to not only delivering sustainable solutions but also enhancing the success of your products.

Are you curious about...

...how to reduce your product carbon footprint?

...how to substitute fossil feedstocks with alternative raw materials?

...how to make your products recyclable?

These questions can be complex and challenging to address, as your journey toward sustainability largely depends on your unique requirements.

We’re here to help you navigate the options and identify which sustainability solutions align best with your needs.

Together, we will discover the optimal path.

Discover our sustainability offerings

Our sustainability portfolio features mass-balanced products made from biomass (BioMass Balance) and recycled raw materials (ChemCycling®), as well as their combination (Combi-claims).

Additionally, we provide bio-based raw materials, recyclable options, compostable and biodegradable biopolymers, and products designed with a reduced carbon footprint (low PCF and zero PCF).

Biomass Balance: BMB

Biomass balanced products offer BASF customers a differentiation opportunity such as a quantifiably improved CO₂ footprint and savings of fossil resources. Customers can rely on the identical product quality and performance to which they are accustomed to and benefit from a sustainable drop-in solution, making a conscious contribution to environmental protection.

Chemical Recycling: Ccycled^®

BASF uses recycled feedstock derived from plastic waste that is attributed to the certified Ccycled® products through a mass balance approach.

Combi-claims

Combi-claims designate a combination of sustainable solutions in the manufacturing process of a product. For example, BASF combines alternative raw materials in a mass balance approach: pyrolysis oil from scrap tires and biomethane from agricultural waste and food industry residues. The resulting plastic features the same properties as prime quality plastic.

From scrap tires to door handles and impact absorbers

Discover the journey

Bio-based feedstock

BASF's dedicated bio-based portfolio offers solutions for multiple applications. Either as substitute for a fossil alternative (so called drop-ins) to reduce the carbon footprint or new products using their unique properties that can either not or not cost-efficiently be achieved with a fossil feedstock.

Recyclability

A circular economy of plastics requires them to be recyclable, in order to be transformed into recycled content or alternative raw materials for new products. Therefore, the importance of recycling is present from the design phase. At BASF, we help you developing products that contribute to the circular economy.

Certified compostable and soil-biodegradable biopolymers

BASF has been researching biodegradable, bio-based and certified compostable biopolymers for more than 30 years. The continuous development of these high-performance plastics takes place in close cooperation with customers, research institutes and local authorities. The focus always lies on the biopolymer's best environmental performance in regard to advancing organic recycling, no matter if the material contains fossil or renewable resources.

Reduced Product Carbon Footprint: LowPCF and ZeroPCF

BASF increasingly offers products with a reduced CO2 footprint (Product Carbon Footprint, PCF) in response to rising demand from customers.

What other customers say?

With our products, we help customers to improve asset performance, availability, and reliability, through resource-efficient and circular products which optimize energy use, production, and supply chains throughout their entire lifecycle. In BASF, we have found a strong partner that supports us with its innovations in the field of sustainable plastic.

Andreas Matthé, CEO of Electrical Products at Siemens Smart Infrastructure

Why you can trust us

BASF has a successful track-record of sustainability efforts! Since 1990, we have halved our carbon dioxide emissions while doubling our sales volumes.

And the best part? We are confident that what we've achieved over the past three decades is just the beginning; we are determined to reach even greater heights in the future!

From 2030 onwards, we further intensify our actions to reduce our CO2 emissions. For Performance Materials, it means:

Switching all our sites to green electricity
Transition to more environmentally friendly blowing agents for PU
Implement low carbon steam and investigate the use of heat pumps
Continuous Operational Excellence

BASF’s Performance Materials has a two-fold target for 2030:

The carbon management measures will bring the emissions (scope 1 & 2) down by another 25% compared to 2018 and scope by 15% compared to 2022 for the scope 3.1.
At the same time, we want to reach a 20% share of circular economy sales.

This is only when all levers and measures will be used to the greatest extent that BASF will consider offsetting emissions to reach its final goal of being net zero.

From 1990 to 2018, we have reduced by half our carbon emissions while doubling our sales volumes.

BASF greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1 & 2) in Million metric tons

BASF Performance Materials Production Sites and R&D Centers Network

World Map of BASF locations considering sustainability

APAC

20 production sites
6 R&D centers
5 sites using green electricity
8 sites certified ISCC+ / RedCERT²

North America

14 production sites
2 R&D centers
8 sites using green electricity
3 sites certified ISCC+ / RedCERT²

EMEA

10 production sites
3 R&D centers
8 sites using green electricity
8 sites certified ISCC+ / RedCERT²

South America

3 production sites using green electricity
1 R&D center

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