Our focus areas

• We set ourselves goals along the value chain for our focus areas

We used a materiality analysis to identify and rank relevant sustainability issues for BASF. These topics include, for example, energy and climate, water, resources and ecosystems, responsible production, and employment and employability. We updated our sustainability goals to this effect in 2015 and aligned them along the entire value chain. We practice responsible procurement. We design our production to be efficient and safe for people and the environment. We treat both our employees and our partners with respect and fairness. We drive sustainable products and solutions.

The BASF brand

• Above-average awareness of, and trust in, BASF brand in chemical industry

We rely on a strong brand in order to further expand our position as the world’s leading chemical company. Our brand is derived from our strategy and our corporate purpose – “We create chemistry for a sustainable future” – as well as our strategic principles and values.

“Connected” describes the essence of the BASF brand. Connectivity is one of BASF’s great strengths. Our Verbund concept – realized in production, technologies, knowledge, employees, customers and partners – enables innovative solutions for a sustainable future. The claim that “We create chemistry,” as stated in the BASF logo, helps us embed this solution-oriented strategy in the public consciousness. Our brand creates value by helping communicate its benefits for our stakeholders as well as our values.

Wherever our stakeholders encounter our brand, we want to convince them that BASF stands for connectivity, intelligent solutions, value-adding partnerships, an attractive working environment and sustainability. This contributes to our customers’ confidence in their buying decisions and to our company value.

We are constantly developing our brand image by measuring awareness of and trust in our brand, and therefore in our company. A global market research study conducted every two years showed in 2014 that, in terms of awareness and trust, BASF is above the industry average in numerous countries. The study collected data on respondents’ aided awareness of BASF and our most important competitors. Our goal is to continue increasing awareness of BASF in all of our relevant markets.

Innovations for a sustainable future

Innovations in chemistry are necessary to meet the needs of the growing world population on a long-term basis. The development of innovative products and solutions is, therefore, of vital significance for BASF. In the long term, we aim to continue significantly increasing sales of these products and solutions, and earn higher margins with them than the rest of our portfolio. This means effective and efficient research is becoming increasingly important. Aside from the research and development activities in our established business, we are also working on growth fields to tap new business areas for BASF. Through these, we can make a decisive contribution to innovative solutions for global challenges and contribute to sustainable development. We regularly review the growth fields in terms of their attractiveness for BASF. We will tailor our technology fields even more closely to the BASF Group’s needs and reorganize them into key technologies. Key technologies combine skills and knowledge in order to maintain the long-term competitiveness of our business and products.

Our worldwide research expertise is pooled into three platforms each headquartered in one of the regions particularly significant for us: Europe, Asia Pacific and North America: Process Research & Chemical Engineering (Ludwigshafen, Germany), Advanced Materials & Systems Research (Shanghai, China) and Bioscience Research (Research Triangle Park, North Carolina). In the long term, we aim to conduct half of our research and development activities outside of Europe and are continuing to expand our R&D activities in both Asia and America. This means focusing on growth in regional markets. Our stronger global presence opens up new opportunities to participate in regional developments in innovation and gain access to local talent.