Sustainability

Social Engagement

At BASF, we want to make a positive contribution to the society and the environment. We aim to improve the quality of life of the communities where we do our business and contribute to the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In Vietnam, we focus on education development with a range of long-term programs such as BASF Kids' Lab, BASF Virtual Lab, school renovation, playground building, and scholarship donation. We do this in collaboration with our local partners, customers and NGOs to help nurture the next generation of Vietnamese scientists and future leaders.

BASF Kids’ Lab & Virtual Lab

Science is such a fun subject to explore! With the belief that curious kids today turn into great scientists of tomorrow, BASF established Kids' Lab in Germany in 1997 with the aim to nurture children's interest in chemistry; and to help the young generation realise how chemistry can contribute to a sustainable future for everyone. This program has been launched in 30 countries across the globe. More than 300,000 kids in Asia-Pacific region have participated since 2002. More at BASF Kids’ Lab animation

In line with BASF’s social engagement blueprint, the BASF Kids’ Lab was first introduced in Vietnam in 2011 in collaboration with the HCMC Department of Education & Training. Since then, the initiative has expanded to several other provinces including Binh Duong and Hau Giang, with focus on natural science education. In total, the fun-filled experiment events attracted about 5,000 primary students.

Virtual Kids’ Lab, an extension of BASF Kids’ Lab, provides a wide range of free-of-charge interactive experiments using the internet. Children can experience the joy of chemistry anytime and anywhere. Since 2018, the 14 most popular games from the portal were specifically introduced in Vietnamese. Watch our latest launching event video

Kids' Lab in Asia Pacific Facebook Kids' Lab Asia Pacific Virtual Kids' Lab Virtual Kids' Lab in Vietnamese

School Renovation

BASF works closely with our partners in our school renovation program, facilitated by Saigon Children’s Charity, to help address the issue of lacking proper learning facilities and environment in remote areas of Vietnam. To date, seven schools with brand new toilets, fences and playgrounds have been offered to about 750 students in different provinces. "With this initiative, we want to demonstrate our commitment to nurturing Vietnam’s young generation through educational programs as well as supporting Vietnam’s sustainable development goals,” said Erick Contreras, Managing Director of BASF Vietnam.

Click here to watch the video.

Playground Building

Outdoor play benefits a child’s mental, physical and social development. Being outdoors also lets them explore the world from a different perspective and stay in tune with nature. However, not many kids can enjoy this due to limited public spaces and shortage of public playgrounds, especially underprivileged kids and those living in urban areas. That matters to us! BASF started this program in 2019 to celebrate our 25 years in Vietnam. Facilitated by Think Playgrounds social enterprise, seven public playgrounds and outdoor toys have been built since then by using child-friendly components including wood, ropes, and reusable materials. These facilities have brought joy and laughter to more than 32,000 children in Hanoi, Yen Bai and Ho Chi Minh City.

Watch our latest playground launch video here.

Supporting Youth

BASF has partnered with JA Worldwide, a non-profit organization, to implement the "Young Voices for a Sustainable Future" innovation challenge, which is aimed at promoting education for sustainable development. The project was first implemented in 2022 and has already impacted 1,500 young people across 10 countries. With the mentorship of around 300 BASF employees, they developed creative solutions that promote sustainable development and help tackle issues in their communities. In the third year of the project, around 1,000 young people will have the opportunity to collaborate with our dedicated volunteers to tackle new challenges.

In 2022 and 2023, BASF Vietnam mentors worked side by side with the young talents from Ben Tre province and Ho Chi Minh City respectively to turn the project ideas into reality. Through their coaching and experience sharing, the students from Quan Trong Hoang High School and Ben Tre High school for gifted students, then Nguyen Huu Huan High school, could reduce the reverse impact of climate change while achieving real-life working experience with the experts.

More about ‘Young Voices for a Sustainable Future’ is available here
Watch the JA Vietnam’s 2022 video here

Furthermore, BASF Vietnam, in association with Saigon Children’s Charity, has offered scholarships to 20 needy university students to support their four-year study since 2014. The scholarships help underprivileged young people from different provinces to escape from poverty and prepare them to be future leaders through better education. In this endeavor, we hope that the scholarships will help them become more competitive in the labor market in the future and earn themselves and their family a better quality of life.