BASF Crop Protection improves product traceability and transparency throughout the value chain

• BASF launches new Supply Chain Track and Trace technology standard
• New technology improves transparency and fights product counterfeiting
• Authentication app for growers is now available

Limburgerhof, Germany – February 17, 2016 – BASF has announced the introduction of a new traceability technology for its crop protection products filling lines: Supply Chain Track and Trace (SCTT). The innovation will enable BASF to show and document the route its products take from the filling stage until they reach farmers. With SCTT, BASF aims to create further transparency in the supply chain and to fight product counterfeiting. The first production lines to implement the new technology are at the BASF’s sites in Tarragona, Spain, and in Genay and Gravelines, both located in France.

Starting this year, an increasing number of BASF crop protection products will include a machine-readable information in the form of a unique data matrix code on their labels. The code will contain relevant product information, such as global trade item number, batch number, production date, and a unique alphanumeric identifier. It can be scanned at each stage of the supply chain and the data will be stored for retrieval in a BASF database. Once the route of a product is being monitored and documented, farmers in particular will be able to easily verify BASF crop protection products with a new app called “CPP Verifier”. This will help them to check the authenticity of the product to make sure they can grow healthy, marketable crops.

“Improvements in our technology standard, such as SCTT, are very important to us,” explained Vincent Gros, Senior Vice President, BASF Crop Protection for Europe, Africa, Middle East, CIS and Central Asia. “It will help us combat product counterfeiting, a problem that involves a range of negative effects for farmers, consumers, and the environment. With SCTT, we are raising the bar to not compromise on safety.”

Through the implementation of SCTT, BASF is responding to current regulatory requirements in Europe as well as anticipating new regulations around the globe. SCTT is based on CRISTAL (Communicating Reliable Information and Standards to Agriculture and Logistics), which is supported by the European Crop Protection Association, Crop Life International, and the global standardization organization GS1. Over the near term, BASF will be implementing the technology in its production lines in Ludwigshafen, Germany, and will follow up with implementation at other facilities in Europe, South America and the United States within the next two years.

For more information, please visit www.track-and-trace.agro.basf.com.

About BASF’s Crop Protection division
With sales of more than €5.4 billion in 2014, BASF’s Crop Protection division provides innovative solutions in crop protection, seed treatment and biological control as well as innovations to manage nutrients and plant stress. Its portfolio also includes products for turf and ornamental plants, pest control and public health. BASF Crop Protection is a leading innovator that partners with growers to protect and enhance crop yields, enabling them to produce high-quality food more efficiently. By delivering new technologies and expertise, BASF Crop Protection supports growers to make a better life for themselves, their families and communities. Further information can be found on the web at www.agro.basf.com or on our social media channels.

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

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