On the way to rethink plastics

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

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

Engineering plastics used in electrical applications (E/E) have to show excellent electrical performance, good mechanical properties as well as high dimensional stability under heat. In daily operation, they have to guarantee insulation and therefore secure handling. They have to reduce fire risk in the event of an electrical defect or exposure to external sources of ignition. With a lot of applications, the plastic is used for designing the exterior of components as well. This is why design requirements, e. g. for surface quality, haptics, and colors, are becoming more and more important.

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.

We want to live up to our responsibility for climate protection. One way we do this is with our products, which enable our customers to lower CO₂ emissions.

The American coffee brand Bruvi^® now uses Ultrason^® E 2010 to manufacture the extractor lens in its coffee brewers. The complex injection-molded component is part of Bruvi’s unique auto-optimized brewing technique, scanning the coffee pod and then automatically adjusting the brewing parameters to the specific recipe for the optimal brew of each individual coffee. The BASF polyethersulfone (PESU) contributes to the durability of the machine by its excellent mechanical strength, its high heat and steam resistance up to 180°C, as well as dimensional stability at varying temperatures. The food-contact approved thermoplastic meets Bruvi’s standards for ensuring tastier coffee and hygienic brewing: It does not affect the taste of the coffee or gives off any odors. This allows Ultrason^® E 2010 to outperform other materials which are used in coffee machine applications.

Plastics – the fast Facts shows preliminary global and European plastics production data. It also provides European plastics industry’s key economic figures, trade balance, top trade partners, and preliminary estimations of European plastics conversion.