Waterloo, Belgium, – One year after BASF’s Monomers division announced its ambitious sustainability roadmap, it is now celebrating the successful certification of production sites in all regions. With its MDI production site in Geismar, Louisiana, USA, joining the ranks of ISCC PLUS and REDcert2-certified locations1, BASF can now offer its customers regionally produced ISCC PLUS and/or REDcert2 certified isocyanates and polyamides all over the world.
“Our successes in the last year have shown how serious we are about driving the sustainable transformation of the Monomers division and the various customer industries we are serving ̶ we are working constantly to improve our portfolio which is also reflected by our products constantly meeting the high standards of our international certifiers,” said Monomers President Dr. Ramkumar Dhruva. “With our sites certified all over the world, we are now able to help our customers reach their sustainability goals with more sustainable products wherever they are located. I am very happy that we now also have the right structures in place to supply our American customers with certified more sustainable Isocyanate solutions made in the United States. With this, we can always offer our customers the perfect fit for their product mix,” Dhruva added.
Last January, BASF’s Monomers division committed itself to developing a circular option in every major product line by 2025. Now, only one year later, the division continues to deliver on that promise. As of February 2024, approximately 70 percent of the large portfolio of isocyanates, polyamides, glues and resins, precursors and inorganics products are available in chemically recycled (Ccycled®) or biomass-balanced variants2 (BMB), as LowPCF products3 or even ZERO variants (Zero Emissions, Renewable Origin). In total, the division now offers 345 certified sustainable product alternatives to its various customer industries, which range from food packaging, textiles, automotive or construction to wood binders and many others.
Besides offering more sustainable product variants, BASF’s Monomers division continues to invent completely new solutions like its polyol recycling. Further, the division develops new proprietary technologies that drive the sustainable transformation of the various industries it serves. With the newest addition to its portfolio, loopamid®, the Monomers division has developed an innovative solution to improve circularity in the fashion industry and recycle polyamide 6-based textile waste. With this cutting-edge technology, used fibers and materials can be recycled into new yarn over multiple cycles while retaining the material characteristics of conventional virgin polyamide. More information about this breakthrough technology is available here.
Besides the significant additions to its product portfolio, BASF’s Monomers division has also successfully implemented many measures for its production sites in all regions that further reduce carbon emissions. With these CO2 mitigation measures Monomers contributes significantly to BASF’s ambitious sustainability target of reaching net-zero carbon emissions by the year 2050. Utilizing the benefits of BASF’s global Verbund network, several high-impact measures resulted in substantial CO2 reductions. A prime example are improved heat recovery measures at the site of Shanghai BASF Polyurethane Co. Ltd. (SBPC), which are expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 34,000 tons every year.
1 REDcert2 and ISCC PLUS are sustainability certification schemes for the use of sustainable biomass as raw material in the chemical industry. A certification according to these certification schemes confirms that the biomass used is sustainable and has been fed into the production system in the required amount. It also confirms that the sustainable biomass has been correctly attributed to the corresponding sales products. The certifications are awarded on the basis of on-site audits conducted by independent auditors.
2 Ccycled®: Conventional fossil raw materials required to manufacture BASF products are replaced with recycled feedstock from the chemical recycling of plastic waste or end-of-life tires along BASF’s integrated production chain. The corresponding share of recycled feedstock, e.g., pyrolysis oil, is attributed to the specific Ccycled® product via a certified mass balance approach. The recycled feedstock is not measurable in the BASF mass balance product.
BMB: For a biomass balanced product, BASF replaces 100% of the fossil raw materials which are normally needed to produce the product with renewable feedstock in its Verbund production setup. The renewable carbon cannot be physically identified in the final product, but the renewable share is fully attributed to it via a certified mass balance approach.
3 LowPCF products have a at least 30% lower product carbon footprint compared to corresponding fossil-based grades. The product carbon footprint (PCF) calculations follow the requirements and guidance given by ISO 14067:2018. In a methodology review, TÜV Rheinland has confirmed that the PCF (SCOTT) methodology developed and used by BASF SE is in accordance with ISO 14067:2018 and the Together for Sustainability PCF Guideline, and reflects the state of the art (ID-Nr. 0000080389: BASF SE - Certipedia). Further information is available here.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €68.9 billion in 2023. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.
BASF offers range of chemical intermediates with product carbon footprint significantly below global market average
Analysis comprising product-specific emissions from cradle to gateMarket comparison reveals good position for a range of intermediates
Read MoreBASF and Evonik agree on first deliveries of biomass-balanced ammonia with reduced carbon footprint
BASF and its customer Evonik have agreed on the first delivery of BASF’s ammonia BMBcertTM grade. Thereby, both chemical companies demonstrate their commitment to offer products with a reduced product carbon footprint (PCF). With its ammonia BMBcert, BASF delivers to Evonik a product whose PCF is at least 65 % lower than the standard product*. Both, BASF and Evonik are extending their product portfolios and launching ammonia-based products applying a biomass balance approach. These products are readily available via existing sales channels and fully integrated into the ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) systems of the companies.“Evonik and BASF share the same vision: We are convinced that the chemical industry can transform and replace fossil with renewable feedstocks and utilities. The supply with ammonia BMBcert is a big milestone for both of us,” said Dr. Jens Aßmann, Vice President Business Management Ammonia Value Chain and Operations Amino Resins at BASF. Evonik has received a first shipment of ammonia BMBcert produced by BASF. By incorporating BASF’s ammonia BMBcert into its ISCC (International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) PLUS certified production processes, Evonik demonstrates its commitment to a more sustainable economy and its ambitious emissions reduction targets. By 2030, Evonik seeks to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25 % and Scope 3 emissions by 11 % compared to 2021 levels, and to become climate-neutral by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement and validated by Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi). Evonik plans to use ammonia BMBcert to produce a range of sustainable products, including VESTAMIN® IPD eCO and VESTAMID® eCO Polyamide 12. “eCO” stands for Evonik’s aim to eliminate CO2 via mass balance approach using renewable feedstock in existing systems and production processes. With the eCO grades, customers benefit from more sustainable products with no compromise in performance. Thus, conventional, trusted VESTAMIN curing agents for epoxy resin systems with typical applications in industrial flooring, marine and anticorrosive paints can easily be replaced by the IPD eCO grade. The same proves true for VESTAMID eCO Polyamide 12, which covers tailored, high-performance polyamide, typically found in shoe soles, sunglasses, gas pipes, safety-related automotive parts and many more. “We are excited to partner with BASF to source ammonia with a reduced carbon footprint. This collaboration witnesses our dedication to environmental stewardship and our ability to innovate in a rapidly changing market,” said Silvia Torrado, Global Procurement Director for Base Petrochemicals at Evonik.BASF applies a biomass balance approach to replace fossil resources at the beginning of the production process with certified biomethane from biowaste raw materials which are attributed to the product. The mass-balanced product is certified according to ISCC PLUS standards. In addition, BASF is using electricity from renewable sources for the manufacturing of the ammonia, further reducing its PCF. As outlined in its sustainability roadmap, the BASF Monomers Division announced to offer at least one circular or lower PCF option for every major product line by 2025. Mass balanced products are drop-in solutions, meaning they have the same properties as the corresponding conventional products, but with an attributed share of circular raw materials. The division’s sustainable offerings are an essential part of BASF’s path to climate neutrality and net-zero CO2emissions by 2050. * Based on the average CO2 footprints stated in the “Default values for the transitional period for the CBAM between October 1, 2023 and December 31, 2025” published by the European Commission on Dec 22, 2023.
Read More