BASF Puts Carbon Footprint at Forefront Amid Product Development and New Partnerships

LUDWIGSHAFEN, Germany, Sept. 10, 2025 — Being the world’s largest chemical producer, Germany-headquartered multinational BASF has for decades adopted a two-pronged approach to reflect its environmental responsibility.

Besides incorporating eco-friendly technologies, right from the research and development stage to the final rollout of its products, BASF makes constant efforts to add value by offering greener and high-efficiency chemical solutions.

There have been different approaches by BASF in developing and developed markets, but the meeting point has been its contribution to the global objective of net-zero emissions.

In April this year, BASF’s Care Chemicals operating division released the third edition of its Responsible Sourcing Report (RSR).

The division reported significant growth in its three pillars of sustainability: economy, environment, and society. The RSR also brings to the fore BASF’s commitment to sustainability, highlighting the company’s dedication to supporting smallholder farmers and promoting sustainable practices.

BASF’s Performance Materials division rang in 2025 by completely switching all its European sites to renewable electricity.

“As BASF, we want to enable our customers’ green transformation, and we believe it starts with us. This is our ambition and the goal of #OurPlasticsJourney,” said Martin Jung, President of BASF’s Performance Materials division. “The use of electricity from renewable sources such as wind or solar is necessary to achieve our climate targets.”

The transformation has been applied to the compounding of Engineering Plastics, Polyurethanes, Thermoplastic Polyurethanes, and Specialty Polymers. With the beginning of 2025, nine Performance Materials production sites across Europe have been converted.

BASF’s Green Initiatives in Production You Should Know

Upgraded Quantum Dot Level Solution: Earlier this month, BASF announced a major performance upgrade to its QDYES, a cutting-edge quantum dot level (QD-level) solution designed for LCD backlight applications. The upgrade, first implemented in 2021, pioneers a greener and highly efficient path for manufacturers aiming to produce wide color gamut displays.

First introduced in 2021, QDYES utilize innovative organic light-conversion technology to eliminate the need for barrier layers and address environmental concerns associated with traditional QD-level materials, which often contain heavy metals like cadmium and lead.

This advancement not only enhances design flexibility, allowing for ultra-narrow bezels, but also meets the increasing demand for sustainable technologies in high-end display products.

Production of Green Hydrogen: In April, Germany’s largest proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer started operation at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site. The electrolyzer is designed to produce zero-carbon hydrogen and has a connected load of 54 megawatts. It has the capacity to supply the main plant with up to one metric ton of this substantial chemical feedstock every hour.

Construction on the plant continued for two years and was officially launched in April. Developed jointly with Siemens Energy, the water electrolyzer is an integral part of the production and infrastructure at the Ludwigshafen site, increasing its unique ability in terms of its interface and integration into a chemical production environment.

A total of 72 stacks — the modules in which the actual electrolysis process takes place — have been installed in the system. The electrolyzer has the ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at BASF’s main plant by up to 72,000 metric tons per year.

How are BASF Partnerships Focused on Carbon Footprint?

In June this year, Belgian-French chemical producer Solvay and BASF announced the launch of a collaboration to focus on a meaningful reduction in Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions within the hydrogen peroxide supply chain.

Solvay has chosen BASF as the main supplier of aluminium chloride for its Linne Herten plant in the Netherlands, a vital input in the production of anthraquinone, which is essential for manufacturing hydrogen peroxide. BASF was selected for its ability to provide aluminium chloride with a significantly lower carbon footprint compared to Solvay’s previous sourcing.

In another effort to drive down Scope 3 emissions, AkzoNobel has placed orders for significantly reduced carbon footprint raw materials from BASF for its decorative paints production in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa).

Highlighting AkzoNobel’s mission to deliver more lower-carbon products into the mainstream, the agreement involves the company using BASF’s biomass balanced (BMB) ingredients, which don’t require any new formulations or changes to existing paint manufacturing processes.

This supply will pave the way for an AkzoNobel paint with exactly the same quality and performance, but with a reduced carbon footprint of at least 5 percent.

Norway-based international energy company Equinor has signed a long-term strategic agreement with BASF for the annual delivery of up to 23 terawatt-hours of natural gas over a ten-year period. The contract secures a substantial share of BASF’s natural gas needs in Europe. Deliveries will start on October 1, 2025.

Germany’s largest proton exchange membrane electrolyzer at BASF’s Ludwigshafen site has the ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 72,000 metric tons per year.

Inputs from Saqib Malik

Editing by David Ryder