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Identification and Management of Sustainability Topics

Sustainability topics and materiality assessment

The identification of those sustainability topics that matter most to our business and our stakeholders is an important foundation of our approach to sustainable development. We use the results to constantly enhance our sustainability management tools. They also provide a basis for guiding corporate processes to identify and manage potential opportunities and risks. The Materiality Assessment based on this is an essential element specifically of corporate reporting.

To derive the topics that are material for BASF we developed a new process in 2022 reflecting the recent changes in frameworks and regulations. We are using the concept of double materiality which acknowledges the two dimensions of impact materiality and financial materiality and taking into account positive and negative impacts along the value chain. In an update in 2023, we examined whether new topics had arisen or if the materiality of the topics from the previous years had significantly changed.

Following this concept, we have derived the following eleven material topics (in alphabetical order):

Variety of life on Earth and foundation for ecosystem services that are essential for nature and human well-being.
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Health, welfare and safety of people at work, and the environmental, social, health, and safety impacts related to a product.
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Responsible business conduct based on values, principles, and practices.
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Material management and resource usage and efficiency.
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Greenhouse gas emissions reductions, investment in renewable energy, recycling, carbon footprint reduction.
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Initiatives, policies, procedures, rules, and cultural elements concerning life in the workplace as well as the heterogeneity of an entity's workforce and equal opportunity and remuneration for employees of different backgrounds.
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The use of water, including availability, distribution, and quality.
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The environmental, social, health, and safety impacts related to a product.
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Last modified: February 2024

In annual updates, we check whether new topics are coming up and confirm if the importance and materiality of the identified topics changed significantly. Our list of material topics is then adjusted accordingly.