Business Review

  • Sales decline €56 million to €6,019 million, mainly as a result of negative currency effects
  • EBIT before special items decreases slightly by €20 million to €773 million due to lower contribution from the Care Chemicals division

Sales to third parties in the Nutrition & Care segment declined by €56 million year on year to €6,019 million in 2020. Sales in the Nutrition & Health division improved by €73 million to €2,030 million. This was unable to fully offset the slight sales decrease of €129 million to €3,989 million in the Care Chemicals division.

Factors influencing sales – Nutrition & Care

 

Nutrition & Care

Care Chemicals

Nutrition & Health

Volumes

3%

2%

7%

Prices

–1%

–2%

0%

Portfolio

0%

0%

0%

Currencies

–3%

–3%

–3%

Sales

–1%

–3%

4%

The sales performance of both divisions was impacted by negative currency effects.

Sales were also reduced by lower price levels in the Care Chemicals division, especially in the home care, industrial and institutional cleaning and industrial formulators business. Prices in the Nutrition & Health division were on a level with the previous year.

Segment data – Nutrition & Care (Million €)

 

 

2020

2019

+/–

Sales to third parties

 

6,019

6,075

–1%

of which Care Chemicals

 

3,989

4,118

–3%

Nutrition & Health

 

2,030

1,957

4%

Intersegment transfers

 

429

490

–12%

Sales including transfers

 

6,448

6,565

–2%

Income from operations before depreciation, amortization and special items

 

1,190

1,214

–2%

Income from operations before depreciation and amortization (EBITDA)

 

1,152

1,189

–3%

EBITDA margin

%

19.1

19.6

Depreciation and amortizationa

 

464

545

–15%

Income from operations (EBIT)

 

688

644

7%

Special items

 

–85

–149

43%

EBIT before special items

 

773

793

–3%

Return on capital employed (ROCE)

%

10.6

10.0

Assets

 

6,214

6,399

–3%

Investments including acquisitionsb

 

510

595

–14%

Research and development expenses

 

160

161

–1%

a

Depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets (including impairments and reversals of impairments)

b

Additions to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets

Sales were positively impacted by higher volumes. Volumes rose significantly in the Nutrition & Health division, particularly in the pharmaceutical, aroma ingredients and human nutrition businesses. In the Care Chemicals division, we recorded higher sales volumes in the oleo surfactants and fatty alcohols business, as well as in the home care, industrial and institutional cleaning and industrial formulators business. This was partially offset by lower volumes in the personal care solutions business.

Care Chemicals – Sales by region

Location of customer

Nutrition & Care – Care Chemicals – Sales by region (pie chart)
Nutrition & Health – Sales by region

Location of customer

Nutrition & Care – Nutrition & Health – Sales by region (pie chart)

Income from operations (EBIT) before special items decreased by €20 million compared with the previous year to €773 million due to a slightly lower contribution from the Care Chemicals division. This was primarily the result of lower sales and a one-off payment received by the personal care solutions business in the previous year.

EBIT before special items in the Nutrition & Health division increased considerably compared with 2019. This was mainly attributable to higher volumes. Higher fixed costs had an offsetting effect. In the previous year, fixed costs were reduced by an insurance payment.

EBIT rose by €44 million year on year to €688 million. This included special charges of €85 million, mainly for impairments and provisions, primarily for the optimization of production structures in the Nutrition & Health division in North America and Europe.