Sustainability

Sustainability in Australia & New Zealand

We create chemistry for a sustainable future.

We want to contribute to a world that provides a viable future with enhanced quality of life for everyone. We do so by creating chemistry for our customers and society and by making the best use of available resources. Sustainability is at the core of what we do, a driver for growth as well as an element of our risk management.

Our global sustainability initiatives

At BASF we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. As global leaders in sustainability, it is important to us that we are combining science and innovation to help our customers meet the current and future needs of society, whilst contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable future. We aim to achieve these goals through our global initiatives mentioned below.

Circular Economy

Circular economy means decoupling growth from resource consumption. BASF is driving a circular economy by making the most of the limited resources of our planet: We keep them in use for as long as possible, minimise waste and create value with renewable resources.

Sustainable Solution Steering

Sustainable Solution Steering was introduced at BASF with the aim to increase our portfolio of innovative and sustainable solutions and make our customers more successful. By identifying key drivers and issues in our customers’ industries, we intend to assess the sustainability contribution of each of our products in its specific application.

Our carbon management

We want to live up to our responsibility for climate protection by becoming more efficient, using electricity from renewable sources, and developing new low-emission technologies.

People of different origins and skin color put their hands on top of each other

Our plastics journey

The choices we all make as individuals move the challenge of plastic waste further along its journey towards sustainability, but we’re not getting there fast enough.

BASF – and others in the value chain – are stepping up to their responsibilities and working together to make that journey go faster, so that someday soon all our efforts can truly achieve the changes to plastic waste that the world wants to see.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

BASF carry out our corporate purpose, “We create chemistry for a sustainable future,” by pursuing ambitious goals along our entire value chain. In this way, we aim to achieve profitable growth and take on social and environmental responsibility. This also helps to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Discover more about how our targets link to the UN SDGs.

Battery materials

We believe the development of advanced emission control technologies and the increasing demand for electric powered cars will help reduce emissions and increase air quality on a global scale. Fewer emissions will make our world a better place to live by reducing the impact of air pollution in inner cities and creating a positive effect on the health of the population.

BASF Online Report 2022

Our integrated corporate report combines financial and sustainability reporting to inform shareholders, employees and the interested public about the 2022 business year.

View the report

Sustainability at BASF across Australia and New Zealand

Learn more about our different industry contributions to sustainability across Australia and New Zealand:

Agricultural Solutions

BASF Agricultural Solutions aims to provide successful, environmentally-friendly solutions for farmers across Australia and New Zealand, and promote sustainable farming practices for future generations.

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Coatings Solutions

BASF’s Coatings division in Australia and New Zealand markets a high-quality range of innovative and sustainable automotive refinish coatings for passenger and commercial transport, complimented with a range of perfectly aligned ancillary products.

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eMobility

BASF has made significant investments in the research, development and production of battery materials and components to provide innovative solutions for sustainable mobility.

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Energy & Resources

With our knowledge and expertise in chemistry for oilfields, refineries, mining, wind, and solar energy, we partner with customers and share their commitment to a healthier, more natural, and more affordable future for energy and resources.

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Health & Nutrition

Together with our customers, we aim to identify key levers for a more sustainable value chain in the food and animal feed industry. Our efficient, high-quality products help our customers to grow profitably whilst also saving resources.

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Stoffkreisläufe werden auch durch die Nutzung nachwachsender Rohstoffe geschlossen. Ein Beispiel dafür ist das das Rambutan-Programm, bei dem hochwertige Wirkstoffe aus bisher nicht genutzten Pflanzenteilen gewonnen werden. Forscher der BASF haben herausgefunden, dass Inhaltsstoffe aus den Blättern, der Schale und den Samen der Rambutan-Frucht positive Effekte auf Haut und Haare haben. Um die kosmetischen Inhaltstoffe nachhaltig gewinnen zu können, hat das Unternehmen bei dem Rambutan-Programm zusammen mit lokalen Partnern in Vietnam eine sozial und ökologisch verantwortungsvolle Lieferkette etabliert und die zwei ersten biozertifizierten Rambutan-Gärten in Vietnam angelegt.

Personal Care

Through our Personal Care sector at BASF, we aim to promote the sustainable sourcing of ingredients to our customers, and provide them with innovative solutions to help promote a sustainable future.

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Plastics & Packaging

BASF aims to drive innovative solutions for the plastics and packaging industry, as the demand for lighter, and more sustainable packaging increases. It is important to us that we are leading by example and contributing to the development of technologies that promote the recycling of plastics, therefore driving a more sustainable future.

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Dispersions & Resins

BASF’s Dispersions & Resins division offers a broad range of raw materials for adhesives, architectural coatings, automotive coatings, construction, industrial coatings, nonwovens, printing and packaging, paper coatings and wood coatings. Within the dispersion and resin industry BASF have developed new standards and processes in our production, product design and end of life management.

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Local sustainability initiatives

Across Australia and New Zealand, BASF is driving sustainability through many local initiatives. We understand that through a bottom-up approach, we can actively contribute to a more sustainable future and enhance the quality of life for others.

Sustainability initiatives at our Tamworth Research Farm

At BASF, we want to contribute to a world that provides a viable future with an enhanced quality of life for everyone. No initiative is considered too small when it comes to encouraging sustainable farming practices, and at our CropSolutions farm in Tamworth, NSW, the research team is proving that indeed, from little things, big things grow.

BASF trinamiX device helps Precious Plastic Monash (PPM) with plastic waste solutions

Earlier in the year, BASF Australia loaned a trinamiX Mobile Near Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy device to Precious Plastic Monash (PPM), a group of multidisciplinary student volunteers from Monash University who are part of the global Precious Plastic community that aims to tackle and provide solutions to the ever growing presence of plastic pollution.

Reducing plastic packaging with APCO

As a member of Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO), BASF have committed to reduce the harmful impact of packaging on the Australian environment. Through APCO, BASF reports on our annual amount of packaging, as well as creating an Action Plan which demonstrates our commitment to sustainable packaging by setting company targets that address the Sustainable Packaging Guidelines (SPGs) to meet the goals of the Covenant.

Industry programs

At BASF Australia and New Zealand, we aim to create a great place to work and offer our employees a ongoing commitment to continuously improve health, safety and our environment. We are proud to give back to the communities we operate in through our participation in the following industry programs:

APCO

To demonstrate our commitment to reducing plastic packaging, BASF is a member of the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation (APCO). APCO is a not for profit organisation leading the development of a circular economy for packaging in Australia. APCO’s vision is a packaging value chain that collaborates to keep packaging materials out of landfill and retains the maximum value of the materials, energy and labour within the local economy. This includes facilitating the delivery of Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets, an important step on the pathway to a circular economy. BASF is working with APCO to report on our annual packaging, as well as outlining our commitments to sustainable packaging in our Action Plan.

Responsible Care initiative

As a voluntary initiative of the chemical industry, the Responsible Care^® initiative has pursued the safe handling of chemicals throughout their entire life cycle, as well as excellent performance in the areas of environmental protection, health and safety.

Here at BASF, we too practice a corporate culture in which safety, health and the environment are at the forefront of our minds. To aim for continuous improvement within these areas, we began our commitment to the Responsible Care initiative back in 1992.

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drumMUSTER

In order to promote sustainability through our Agricultural Solutions business, BASF Australia actively participates in the drumMUSTER program to advocate for sustainable farming practices. The drumMUSTER program provides an easy, environmentally-friendly way of disposing of empty farming chemical containers across rural Australia, encouraging sustainable waste management for Aussie farmers.

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Operation Clean Sweep

To prove our commitment to a clean environment, BASF has become a partner of the Operation Clean Sweep (OSC) initiative. Within the program, companies from the plastics industry value chain commit to the implementation of “good housekeeping” practices and contribute to a clean environment with pellet loss prevention.

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Partnering for success

Through our memberships and partnerships, we strive to be a leading contributor to corporate sustainability in Australia. We are proud to have partnered with the organisations below, to promote sustainability throughout our business: