On the way to rethink plastics

BASF already offers thousands of products with reduced or even zero carbon footprint (PCF) in its broad portfolio.

No single organisation can solve the global plastic waste problem alone. That’s why BASF co-founded the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) in January 2019. Today the AEPW has around 60 different companies along the plastic value chain. The members have committed to investing in Alliance projects to help minimize and manage plastic waste and keep it out of our environment. 

Floating plastic bottles in the ocean, bags and fishing nets in the middle of the sea or carelessly disposed plastic products on the streets – almost everyone has seen the pictures. But pellets from plastic production also find their way into the environment. As partner of an initiative against pellet loss, BASF contributes to prevent this development.

BASF Gastronomy has been using high-quality products from Werz Wurst-Fleisch-Convenience GmbH in its company canteens at the Ludwigshafen, Limburgerhof and Lampertheim sites and in all event venues for many years. As part of a cross-value chain cooperation with SÜDPACK, a leading supplier of high-performance packaging films, Werz is now implementing BASF’s sustainable polyamide Ultramid^® Ccycled^® in meat and sausage packaging for the first time in the Horeca sector (hotel/restaurant/community catering).

We continue to rely on the mass balance approach in our production: many BASF value chains begin in synthesis gas plants or steam crackers.

Chemical recycling complements mechanical recycling and can be a more sustainable solution than incineration or landfill of plastic waste. It thus contributes to a circular economy and the responsible use of resources. An LCA study conducted by Sphera for BASF concludes that chemical recycling (pyrolysis) of mixed plastic waste emits 50% less CO2 than incineration of mixed plastic waste. 

Recycling plays an increasingly important role due to limited resources, growing sustainability requirements on the markets and regulatory developments.

Lemfoerde, Germany – April 2, 2025 – At CHINAPLAS 2025, BASF will present the Pro-Flex^® Terra foot prosthesis, co-created with the leading global prosthetic provider, Össur. Cellasto^®’s cutting-edge material solution, characterized by progressive stiffness and high impact strength, combines softness and flexibility with extraordinary energy return, allowing the Pro-Flex^® Terra foot prosthesis to embody an intuitive response behavior and replicate closely the human muscle-tendon motion.

For challenging E&E components, BASF has now developed the high-flow Ultrason® D 1010 G6 U40. The blend based on polyethersulfone (PESU) is optimized to meet special needs for easy injection molding of energy-efficient parts in data and energy transmission, smart electronics and e-mobility. Because of its excellent flowability at lower processing temperatures the new BASF thermoplastic gives manufacturers greater flexibility when designing sophisticated switches, circuit breakers and sensors as well as IGBTs and semi-conductor parts like burn-in test sockets. Ultrason® D 1010 G6 U40 shows stable electrical properties at elevated temperatures with a high relative thermal index (RTI) and a higher comparative tracking index (CTI) than polyetherimide (PEI) and polyphenylenesulfide (PPS).

Floating plastic bottles in the ocean, bags and fishing nets in the middle of the sea or carelessly disposed plastic products on the streets – almost everyone has seen the pictures. But pellets from plastic production also find their way into the environment. As partner of an initiative against pellet loss, BASF contributes to prevent this development.