S3 Affected Communities
The content of this section is not part of the statutory audit of the annual financial statements but has undergone a separate limited assurance by our auditor.
The content of this section is voluntary, unaudited information, which was critically read by the auditor.
ESRS-Kennzeichnung:
We aim to avoid negative impacts and increase positive impacts by acting responsibly along the entire value chain. In order to shape the transformation toward climate neutrality in a socially just manner, we seek collaboration through dialog with communities that may be affected by our business activities. We want to live up to our responsibility and pursue the objective of empowering the communities around our sites worldwide.
ESRS-Kennzeichnung:
A core element of our sustainability strategy is to respect the dignity, rights, health and safety of individuals, both within and outside our own workforce. For us, safe and responsible behavior throughout the entire value chain is of paramount importance.
This also applies to all communities that could be affected by our business activities. Here, we also include activities in our upstream value chain if the raw materials sourced by us are produced or extracted under sometimes challenging conditions. For example, the growth of plants purchased by us as renewable raw materials may be associated with land degradation and a deterioration in local biodiversity (see E4 Biodiversity and Ecosystems). The extraction of mineral raw materials could also have a negative impact on communities. Currently, these raw materials are sometimes extracted in regions that bear a greater risk of violations of labor, social and environmental standards. We are therefore committed to a more sustainable supply chain especially for these materials (see S2 Workers in the Value Chain). We consider Indigenous peoples, on whose land extraction of raw materials is planned, to be among the vulnerable groups of affected communities.
We also regard direct neighbors of our production sites as affected communities, as well as other people in the area surrounding our industrial premises who can be impacted by our production operations and the associated potential environmental emissions or by the disposal of contaminated substances. To meet our commitment that the production of our products is safe for both people and the environment, we have set global targets and established management systems (see Targets and Target Achievement 2025).
In our double materiality assessment, the topic S3 Affected Communities was identified as material. As a result of the assessment, we see a material risk for BASF, as well as four material impacts on affected communities, which result from our operations (see table below).
Impact |
Evaluation |
Position in the value chain |
Description |
|---|---|---|---|
Potential adverse effects on health associated with the production and use of chemicals |
Negative, |
BASF’s own operations; upstream and downstream value chain |
The production and use of chemicals in our own operations and in our value chain could impact the health of people and communities. |
Land-related impacts in the supply chain |
Negative, |
Upstream value chain |
Our business activities – especially in the sourcing of raw materials – could lead to changes in land use, limited access to land and resources, and violations of land rights for affected communities. This could affect Indigenous communities in particular, for example through disregarding their right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC). |
Contribution to the positive development of communities |
Positive |
BASF’s own operations |
Through our business activities, our stakeholder engagement and our societal engagement, we exert a positive economic, social and cultural influence on communities. |
Positive contribution to food supply |
Positive |
Downstream value chain |
Our crop protection products and our seeds help to ensure that crops produce good yields in light of increasing disease and pest pressure, so that people benefit from an adequate food supply. |
Risk |
Evaluation |
Description |
|---|---|---|
Loss of societal acceptance due to potential adverse effects on the health of people and communities |
Negative |
In the event of negative impacts on communities, societal acceptance of our business activities could suffer, trust could be lost in BASF and the risk of litigation could increase. |
Strategy and Governance
ESRS-Kennzeichnung:
General information on our overarching policies can be found in the General Disclosures chapter of the (Consolidated) Sustainability Statement. This includes the BASF Code of Conduct, the BASF Policy Statement on Human Rights, our environmental protection, health, safety and quality management system, and our Supplier Code of Conduct. The specific aspects of these policies are explained in the following section.
The acceptance and support of our stakeholders are crucial for our business success. We pursue the principle of coexisting well with affected communities by reducing negative impacts of our business operations and maximizing positive impacts. In this way, we want to contribute to a world that offers a better quality of life for everyone. The protection of affected communities is a central concern for us. We aim to produce safely for people and the environment, to respect human rights and not to violate them at any time through our business activities. We record compliance risks, including those related to communities that could potentially be affected by our business activities, by means of regular risk assessments of our operating divisions and group companies worldwide (see G1 Business Conduct).
Another commitment is to act in a responsible and entrepreneurial manner in accordance with international standards (see Our Strategy and G1 Business Conduct). Through our Policy Statement on Human Rights, we are committed to respecting the human rights of local communities and vulnerable groups and strengthening them along the entire value chain (for more information and the publicly available link to the Policy Statement on Human Rights, see G1 Business Conduct). We have also anchored our human rights responsibility in our BASF Code of Conduct. Respect for human rights is systematically integrated into our corporate governance and our decision-making processes. The global BASF Code of Conduct is binding for all employees and we track compliance with its guidelines by means of our control and monitoring systems (see G1 Business Conduct).
We expect all our partners to comply with international human rights and have formulated this expectation in our Supplier Code of Conduct (for more information and the publicly available link to the Code of Conduct, see S2 Workers in the Value Chain). Where necessary, we support partners in meeting their due diligence obligations. We strive to meet our responsibility along the entire value chain and are willing to face the associated opportunities and risks.
We review the resilience of our business models with regard to various sustainability aspects as part of our business strategy development (for more information, see Double Materiality Assessment). The strategies of our business units are updated at regular intervals together with experts from the business units as well as the Corporate Strategy and Corporate Sustainability units. In addition, we have integrated social and human rights assessments into our governance and decision-making processes, for example for investment, acquisition and divestiture projects. We involve key stakeholders in decisions on future investments at an early stage. These may also include representatives of affected communities.
The business strategy of our Agricultural Solutions division and its contribution to food supply are outlined under Food supply through our products.
Material impacts of BASF on affected communities
ESRS-Kennzeichnung:
In the following section, we explain in more detail our strategy in relation to the four material impacts of BASF on affected communities.
Potential adverse effects on health due to our business activities
As a global chemical company, BASF is aware of the risks that can arise from the production and use of chemicals both in our own operations and in our upstream and downstream value chains. In the event of negative impacts, societal acceptance of our business activities could suffer in the short to long term, trust in BASF could be lost, and the risk of litigation could increase.
It is part of our due diligence obligations to protect and respect not only the health and safety of our own employees, but also that of contractors, suppliers, neighbors and customers along our value chain. To this end, we continuously identify and assess potential hazards and implement measures to mitigate risks (see S1 Own Workforce). Our Group-wide management system for environmental protection, health, safety and quality is based on the guiding principles of the Responsible Care® initiative and quality management (see also E2 Pollution Prevention and S1 Own Workforce).
The Corporate Center unit Corporate Environmental Protection, Health, Safety & Quality, which reports directly to a member of the Board of Executive Directors, determines the Group-wide management and control systems and monitors compliance with internal and legal requirements (for additional information on the responsibilities of the Corporate Center units in the Board of Executive Directors, see Corporate Governance Report). At the same time, the sites and Group companies are responsible for implementing the stipulated guidelines at local level.
We strive to prevent possible adverse health effects along our value chains from the outset. We use findings on potential health risks to take appropriate preventive measures to prevent potential negative impacts on affected communities from occurring or being repeated. We expect the same from our suppliers and have set out this expectation in our Supplier Code of Conduct (see S2 Workers in the Value Chain).
With our commitment to product stewardship under Responsible Care® and the initiatives of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA), we are committed to minimizing the negative effects of our products on health, safety and the environment, and to continuously improving the safety of our products. Before our products are launched on the market, they undergo various tests and assessments – depending on their application profile and legal requirements. By conducting these tests, we aim to identify potential hazard indicators, as well as health and environmental risks, at an early stage. Based on these findings, we devise suitable preventive and protective measures and develop recommendations on secure handling – from production and application through to disposal.
To ensure product safety, we have established global management systems in our downstream value chains: For example, we set global guidelines on the safe transportation of hazardous goods for our logistics service providers and, where necessary, advise our customers on product safety to ensure that our products, when used responsibly and for their intended purpose, do not present any risk to either people or the environment (for more information, see E2 Pollution Prevention).
Land-related impacts in the supply chain
Business activities along the value chain – especially in the sourcing of raw materials – could potentially lead to changes in land use, limited access to land and resources, and violations of land rights. This can affect Indigenous communities in particular, for example through disregarding their right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC).
BASF opposes all forms of human rights violations and, through the BASF Group’s Policy Statement on Human Rights, has committed itself to respecting human rights and fostering respect for the human rights of local communities and vulnerable groups along the entire value chain (see G1 Business Conduct). These include, in particular, the observance of land-related rights, as well as the implementation of the principle of the FPIC of Indigenous peoples (see E4 Biodiversity and Ecosystems). We have integrated human rights- and land-related assessments into our corporate governance and decision-making processes, e.g., for investments in sites, plants, and financial assets. We also involve key stakeholders in decisions on future investments at an early stage. These may also include representatives of affected communities.
Our procurement requirement obliges suppliers to comply with environmental and social standards on the basis of our global Code of Conduct. We seek regular dialog with our stakeholders to identify conflicting goals and include recognized certification standards in our decisions (see E4 Biodiversity and Ecosystems and S2 Workers in the Value Chain).
Food supply through our products
As one of the world’s leading companies, we offer products and innovations for agriculture and support the sustainable transformation of the agricultural and food system. Our crop protection products, seeds and digital solutions help to ensure that crops produce a higher yield so that people benefit from an adequate food supply.
Our innovation-driven strategy for agriculture focuses on selected crop systems: soy, corn and cotton in the Americas; wheat, canola (oilseed rape) and sunflower in North America and Europe; rice in Asia; and fruit and vegetables globally.
In our Agricultural Solutions division, we are working to strike the right balance between economic, environmental and social value creation for a future-oriented and highly efficient agriculture. In light of the increasing global population, demand for food and feed, fibers as well as renewable raw materials and energy is increasing, whereas land suitable for agriculture is limited. This makes it essential to make agriculture even more productive. It must be balanced and ensure that affordable food can be produced in sufficient quantities. At the same time, it is extremely important to reduce negative impacts on the environment and potential adverse effects on health connected with the production and use of crop protection products to acceptable levels.
We leverage our expertise in research and development and our deep understanding of the way individual growers manage their farms to provide offers across technologies. These include novel solutions for seeds and traits, chemical and biological crop protection as well as digital products tailored to regional farming needs and crop systems.
Positive community development
Through our activities, we aim to strengthen the communities surrounding our sites worldwide, promote the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and achieve a long-term positive impact on the environment and society. Our business activities can contribute to the positive development of local communities at our sites – for example, by creating jobs and promoting value generation in the regions. In addition, we are in continuous dialog with relevant stakeholders in order to incorporate the insights gained from this into our activities.
Through our societal engagement, we aim to improve people’s quality of life through the prevention and combating of diseases (health), promote educational equity, employability and economic participation (skills) and safeguard natural resources (resources) (see Actions).
Our activities follow our global societal engagement policy. This is based on the BASF Code of Conduct and falls within the responsibility of the Corporate Sustainability unit.
Stakeholder engagement
ESRS-Kennzeichnung:
Continuous dialog with our stakeholder groups and their involvement are integral to BASF’s corporate responsibilities. Central governance, quality assurance and ongoing development of our engagement with societal stakeholders are the responsibility of the Corporate Sustainability unit, which is under the direct responsibility of the Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors. The insights gained in the dialog with stakeholders are included in relevant strategic decisions. Regular company-wide exchange of experiences and insights is designed to ensure the continuous improvement of our approaches and measures.
In order to be able to better assess our impacts on, and risks for, affected communities, we have structured our stakeholder engagement in such a way that we consider the feedback of affected communities in our business activities. As part of our E2 Pollution Prevention, we aim, for example, to safeguard the right of residents at our sites to access clean water.
The concerns of affected communities, especially vulnerable groups such as Indigenous peoples, are integrated at several levels: We can be contacted directly via the BASF Compliance Hotline. In addition, we engage in dialog with experts in, for example, human rights and climate science, as well as with nongovernmental organizations that represent the interests of vulnerable groups. On a case-by-case basis, we seek direct dialog with their representatives. In this regard, we observe our Group-wide requirements on relations with representatives of civil society.
We bear a particular responsibility toward the neighbors of our sites. With community advisory panels, we promote continuous dialog between residents and our site management and strengthen trust in our activities (see General Disclosures).
We address current and important issues regarding specific topics with our own advisory councils. This enables BASF to better understand the impact of its operations on the environment and affected communities. The Nature Advisory Council (NAC), our advisory council for topics related to biodiversity and ecosystems, serves the purpose of obtaining an independent societal perspective on our activities in relation to nature and biodiversity topics, including those related to affected communities (for more information, see General Disclosures). The Human Rights Advisory Council (HRAC) provides a trust-based and constructive dialog to enable us to better meet our role and responsibility, particularly in situations that are challenging in terms of human rights. The HRAC helps us to better understand different perspectives on human rights (including the limits of corporate due diligence), address conflicting aims and take into account the rights of Indigenous peoples in our business activities. The council also contributes to building on our human rights-related strengths and identifying potential improvements (for more information, see General Disclosures). In 2025, the councils once again provided valuable impetus for our contributions to sustainable development. The responsible balancing of economic, environmental and social aspects was central to this. For example, insights have been incorporated into our procurement process for renewable raw materials.
Another format is our Civil Society Forum, which enables the explanation of current and potential topics and issues and provides space for feedback from civil society (see General Disclosures).
For a case-by-case dialog with stakeholders such as affected communities, we use the format of the Environmental Social Governance Council (ESGC) as an instrument where required. In this way, the viewpoints of relevant stakeholders, in particular vulnerable groups such as Indigenous peoples, can be incorporated at an early stage into the decision-making process on future investments. We also review current investments according to the sustainability criteria and employ suitable dialog formats on a case-by-case basis to incorporate the societal perspectives (see General Disclosures).
Our involvement in multistakeholder and other initiatives represents a key component of our strategic approach in relation to affected communities and all workers in the value chain. BASF is involved in initiatives such as Cobalt for Development, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil and the Global Battery Alliance (see S2 Workers in the Value Chain).
Grievance mechanism and remedial actions
ESRS-Kennzeichnung:
The BASF Compliance Hotline is publicly accessible to everyone as a grievance mechanism; as such, it can also be used by affected communities worldwide and their representatives. For more information on how the problems raised and addressed are tracked and monitored, see G1 Business Conduct.
Should concerns be raised or violations identified in relation to our own activities, we immediately take the actions required in order to examine concerns and eliminate any violations found. Whenever human rights violations on the part of our direct suppliers or in our supply chains come to our attention, we expect and demand that our direct suppliers immediately end these violations or investigate them appropriately. Where necessary, we support our suppliers in facing the associated challenges and in making improvements to their sustainability performance.At the same time, we also reserve the right, as a last resort, to seek out potential alternatives and to terminate supplier relationships in the event of continued violations of our standards.
Actions
ESRS-Kennzeichnung:
In order to mitigate negative impacts and risks while simultaneously leveraging opportunities related to affected communities along our value chains, we take concrete actions, which we explain below on the basis of the material subtopics for this chapter. These actions often entail decentralized measures, projects and initiatives that are not governed by a centrally managed action plan. Instead, they – like our management and monitoring systems – aim to ensure continuous optimization and further development and fall within the responsibility of the sites and Group companies concerned. This goes hand in hand with the BASF approach to sustainability steering (see General Disclosures).
Actions to prevent potential adverse effects on health
We implement numerous actions aimed at mitigating the potential negative impacts of our production and our products on both the environment and society along the entire value chain (see General Disclosures).
In order to minimize negative impacts and risks in the upstream value chain, we rely on dialog with our suppliers as well as the evaluation and further development of their sustainability performance. We support local initiatives to reduce potential adverse effects on health caused by the business activities of our suppliers. Our management processes come into effect in the event of specific incidents (see S2 Workers in the Value Chain and S2, Evaluating and developing our suppliers).
To prevent work-related injuries and their associated impacts on employees, their relatives and affected communities, we support and demand safe and risk-aware working practices, learning from incidents and the regular sharing of experiences among our employees. Employees in production also receive regular training on the safe handling of chemicals (see S1 Own Workforce). In addition, teams of experts at all of our sites deal with occupational health, occupational safety and environmental protection matters. The Corporate Center unit Corporate Environmental Protection, Health, Safety & Quality conducts regular audits to monitor compliance with internal and legal requirements (see S1 Own Workforce and E2 Pollution Prevention).
We also aim to minimize potential incidents impacting the environment and health through our targets for responsible and resource-efficient production, particularly our process safety target (see E2 Pollution Prevention). To reduce process safety incidents, we focus in particular on technical measures, digital solutions and a leadership culture that places even greater focus on safety awareness and dealing openly with mistakes. In addition, we are continuously refining and expanding our training methods and offerings to increase risk awareness and strengthen our safety culture.
Due to our focus on E1 Climate Change, we continuously design more energy- and resource-efficient plants and processes. This helps to reduce emissions. We thus take various measures to reduce emissions to air, for example by using catalysts to reduce nitrogen oxides and feeding waste gases back into the production process. When it comes to emissions into water, our approach is to reduce wastewater volumes and contaminant loads at the source in our production processes and to reuse wastewater and material flows internally as far as possible. As part of our water protection concepts, we also conduct regular hazard assessments of our wastewater, evaluate it in terms of its risks and derive suitable monitoring measures (see E2 Pollution Prevention).
In order to safeguard water as a resource, we are involved in the Alliance for Water Stewardship, as well as networks such as the Alliance to End Plastic Waste and Operation Clean Sweep® to ensure that waste from plastics production does not enter the environment.
In order to minimize negative impacts and risks in the downstream value chain, we address the safe handling and use of chemical raw materials and products as part of our product and transportation safety. Before our products are launched on the market, they undergo various tests and evaluations – depending on legal requirements and their application profile. On the basis of the results, we devise precautionary and protective measures and develop recommendations for safe handling. In order to ensure that our customers receive our goods in harmless condition as well as in safe packaging and transport containers, we rely on qualified selection, approval and clear labeling of packaging and transport containers, on documents accompanying transport and extensive checks (see E2 Pollution Prevention).
Misuse of our crop protection and seed products may have a negative impact on human health and the environment. We are therefore focusing our smart stewardship activities on education and continuously improving our solutions for farmers. In addition to aspects such as efficacy and productivity, this also encompasses the safe use of our products and reducing their impacts on the environment. Our commitment to safety includes not only our employees, but also our contractors, suppliers, neighbors and customers. Crop protection products must be used responsibly and require safety measures to protect farmers and other professional users against hazards. We therefore launched the Global Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) initiative in order to put the safety of users center stage. The Suraksha Hamesha program (translation from Hindi: “Safety all the time”), initiated by BASF in India, trains farmers and other users in the safe and responsible use of crop protection products and focuses on measures to minimize risk. Since 2016, around 998,000 farmers and 133,000 other users have been reached.
By systematically evaluating the sustainability performance of our suppliers and by cooperating closely with our partners where there is a need for improvement, we can verify whether negative impacts on health are being effectively prevented in our upstream value chain (see S2 Workers in the Value Chain). The traceability and assessment of our actions with respect to their efficacy in protecting affected communities in the areas around our own production sites are based on our global targets for responsible and resource-efficient production (for additional information, see Our Targets and Target Achievement 2025). To effectively prevent potential impacts along the downstream value chain, we regularly review the effectiveness of our product and transportation safety measures by means of Responsible Care audits (see E2 Pollution Prevention).
Actions to prevent land-related impacts in the supply chain
Through our business operations, we are connected with a large number of people worldwide who are either directly or indirectly influenced by our activities. In particular, the use of renewable raw materials can be associated with land-related impacts for local communities and Indigenous peoples. We meet our responsibility to respect human rights throughout the entire value chain, particularly in relation to vulnerable groups.
In fulfilling our responsibility to respect the land rights of affected communities, we rely on established monitoring systems. The overarching governance of human rights due diligence at BASF lies with the Compliance organization. In addition, several specialist units are responsible for steering specific human rights topics, for example through our Human Rights Expert Working Group (see G1 Business Conduct). We track the effectiveness of our activities to respect the rights of affected communities using the number of issues and incidents brought to our attention.
We expect that any development activity related to land use change respects the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities to give or withhold their free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) where they hold legal, communal or customary rights in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the social requirements of the High Carbon Stock (HCS) approach (see E4 Biodiversity and Ecosystems). If concerns are raised or a violation is identified in relation to our own activities, we immediately take the action required in order to appropriately address and end the violation.
In our continuous risk analyses, we take into account environmental and social aspects, such as working conditions and food safety, and expect our suppliers to comply with environmental and social standards based on our global Code of Conduct (see E4 Biodiversity and Ecosystems). This applies, for example, when purchasing palm oil, palm kernel oil and their derivatives, which are some of our most important renewable raw materials; these are described in detail under E4 Biodiversity and Ecosystems (see E4 Biodiversity and Ecosystems). Based on our global Supplier Code of Conduct, we have defined our expectations of suppliers in the palm-based value chain in an additional procurement policy (BASF Palm Sourcing Policy). In addition to certification standards, traceability and environmental aspects, it also addresses requirements relating to compliance with the principle of FPIC, labor and human rights, and the inclusion of smallholder structures. Our aim is to ensure that these raw materials come from sustainable, certified sources. As an extension of our BASF Palm Progress Report, the Care Chemicals operating division has published a comprehensive Responsible Sourcing Report each year since 2023.
We have also established dedicated processes for the sourcing of mineral raw materials to trace their origin in the supply chain. We have implemented the EU’s Conflict Minerals Regulation, for example by carrying out a compliance check for the import of conflict materials into Europe in our ordering system. In this way, we aim to minimize the negative impact of BASF on affected communities (see S2 Workers in the Value Chain).
We seek regular dialog with our stakeholders to identify conflicting goals and include recognized certification standards in our decisions. Sourcing of lithium is an example here. Together with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Fairphone, Daimler Truck and Volkswagen, we have been a member of the Responsible Lithium Partnership initiative since 2021. This initiative, which ended in spring 2025, promoted the responsible use of natural resources in the Salar de Atacama salt flat in Chile (see E3 Water). In addition, we gain insights into the perspectives of workers in the value chain through the exchange in multistakeholder initiatives, such as Cobalt for Development (see also S2, Cobalt for Development), the Global Battery Alliance (see also S2, Global Battery Alliance) or the Responsible Mica Initiative (see also S2, Responsible Mica Initiative), as well as through our involvement in other committees such as econsense, where we are the topic sponsor in the Human Rights & Value Creation cluster.
Actions promoting a positive contribution to food supply
The Agricultural Solutions division is helping to increase agricultural productivity while at the same time reducing environmental impact through chemical and biological crop protection products, seeds and traits, as well as new business models in the areas of digitalization and sustainability. With our innovations, we support our customers in reducing crop losses, achieving better yields and producing safe food. The commercial success of the Agricultural Solutions division therefore provides the basis for a positive contribution to food supply.
BASF invests in research and development to develop new and resistant seed varieties that can thrive better in different climate zones, under higher disease pressure and under changing climatic conditions. Moreover, we promote more sustainable growing methods that optimize the use of water and nutrients and protect biodiversity.
A further key area involves promoting digital solutions that help farmers to increase their yields. These technologies enable more precise use of fertilizers and crop protection products, which not only boosts efficiency but also minimizes the impact on the environment.
BASF is involved in various initiatives and works with various partners to strengthen food supply chains and improve access to food, particularly in emerging markets. For example, as part of our Smallholder Engagement program, we support Indigenous smallholder farmers in India with our “Healthy Soils, Prosperous Farmers” initiative and support them in building independent and sustainable livelihoods. Here, we place a special emphasis on women and young people. Through targeted skills development and improved market access, we aim to strengthen the health and resilience of the agroecosystems and value chains in which they operate. Since the start of the project, more than 8,000 smallholder farmers have been reached, whose household income is to be increased through innovative approaches such as mixed cropping and solar-powered drip irrigation. Implementation is carried out in strategic partnership with nongovernmental organizations such as Collectives for Integrated Livelihoods Initiatives, Seven Sisters Development Assistance, Solidaridad and the World Vegetable Center. The program pursues a dedicated action plan until 2030 and is expanding continuously, including by transferring the project foundations to Ethiopia (see also Actions to promote the positive development of communities).
Actions to promote the positive development of communities
Through our business activities, our stakeholder engagement and our societal engagement, we strive to have a positive economic, social and cultural influence on communities.
Our societal engagement activities focus on strengthening public health, promoting skills and protecting natural resources: We want to improve people’s quality of life by preventing and combating diseases (health), promote educational equity, employability and economic participation (skills), and strengthen the appreciation and protection of natural resources (resources).
In 2025, the BASF Group spent around €29 million on societal engagement. In the field of international development cooperation and disaster management, we supported the independent and nonprofit BASF Stiftung with donations for its international project work in cooperation with various organizations. The 2025 year-end donation campaign in favor of BASF Stiftung went to UNICEF and its effort to support malnourished children in Burundi. BASF topped up the donations made by employees of participating German Group companies by €100,000 to a total of over €375,000.
With our intrapreneurship program Starting Ventures, we support projects that – with entrepreneurial ideas, technical expertise and time resources – tackle local challenges together with partners on the ground and thus contribute to the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A recent example of this is the More Technological Cooperatives project, which supports recycling cooperatives in Brazil in achieving higher incomes through improved sorting rates while also contributing to reducing the environmental impact. Our projects help people from low-income areas in the global south to improve their economic opportunities and their quality of life. At the same time, the program gives us access to new markets and partners. In 2025, implementation of a further nine Starting Ventures projects began in Africa, Asia and South America.
At many sites, BASF works with partners for high-quality education and greater educational equity, particularly for disadvantaged children and young people. For BASF, scientific education and education for sustainable development represent central capabilities that contribute to personal success and the resilience of society. For 28 years now, children and young people in 45 countries have been able to take part in experiments in BASF Kids’ and Teens’ Labs. In 2025, Kids’ Lab was implemented for the first time in Nashik, India, at 18 local schools. More than 2,000 children and 35 mentors from disadvantaged Indigenous communities learned in interactive experiments on environmental pollution and climate change, for example, how they can work for the environment and society in their everyday lives.
The Young Voices for a Sustainable Future project was initiated in 2022 together with the nongovernmental organization JA Worldwide. This project enables young people to address sustainable development topics at a local level in partnership with BASF employees. As part of an innovation challenge, participants learn to recognize the impacts of climate change on their communities and how to influence the resulting challenges. In 2025, the project encouraged more than 1,500 young people in Brazill’s Amazon region, the Philippines, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand, Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates – supported by around 90 BASF employees – to actively take responsibility and drive positive change in their communities.
Through our activities in the domain of public health, we aim to improve the quality of life of people around the world by preventing and combating disease. We achieve this goal by partnering with the international community, including international healthcare, governmental and humanitarian organizations. More than 180 million Interceptor G2 mosquito nets have been supplied since 2019. Based on calculations by MedAccess, these long-lasting, insecticide-treated nets may therefore have prevented 360 million people from contracting malaria. BASF’s commitment to eliminating malaria also comprises ongoing product innovation in combination with product safety training and education.
Furthermore, BASF engages in projects to fortify food products with micronutrients, especially in countries of the Global South. We are active in multistakeholder alliances in order to achieve a sustainable impact through product solutions, technical support, scientific capacities and the development of partnerships. Since 2021, BASF has been a founding member of the Millers for Nutrition coalition, which pursues the objective of strengthening practices for fortifying food products in eight countries with a micronutrient deficiency. In 2025, BASF provided products to combat micronutrient deficiencies in more than 30 countries and delivered technical training in selected markets.
Through our Smallholder Engagement program, we support smallholder farmers in low and middle-income countries in creating an independent and sustainable livelihood locally. In doing so, we place particular emphasis on the areas of food safety and quality, building climate resilience and maintaining healthy and resilient ecosystems. Our program includes several projects and is based on a participatory approach with NGOs, research institutions and local governments. The aim is to promote the safe and responsible use of products and sustainable agricultural practices among local stakeholders. In this way, we ensure that our commitment is effective and that long-term improvements in livelihoods are achieved.
One example is the KAJVE 2.0 project, which BASF is implementing in cooperation with the nongovernmental organization Solidaridad and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). The aim of the partnership is to strengthen smallholder coffee farmers in Indigenous communities in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, and to establish more sustainable supply chains for coffee. The focus lies on improving the income and resilience of coffee farmers by promoting regenerative farming methods and innovative agroforestry systems, while at the same time advancing climate and environmental protection. In addition, the exchange of knowledge within the communities and the safe and responsible use of BASF technologies are promoted. Since the start of the project in 2023, around 500 smallholder farmers have taken part in training and further education measures. In the 2024/2025 cultivation season, participants benefited from an average productivity increase of 35% per hectare.
Societal engagement activities can only unlock their full potential if they are strategically planned, professionally managed and assessed in terms of their effectiveness. Therefore, BASF’s internal societal engagement policy stipulates that Group companies measure their societal engagement activities using the internationally established IOOI method (input – output – outcome – impact) and make adjustments where necessary.
Global Targets
ESRS-Kennzeichnung:
Many of our sustainability-related corporate targets (for additional information, see Our Targets and Target Achievement 2025) contribute to the protection of affected communities. These include our climate protection targets to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, our responsible procurement target, our sustainable water management target and our targets for safe and resource-efficient production (see S1 Own Workforce and E2 Pollution Prevention). Beyond these targets, BASF has not set itself a specific target for the topics identified as material in the area of affected communities.
In general, we do not want to be associated with human rights violations and we meet our human rights-related responsibility toward affected communities. In doing so, we take into account in particular the land use rights and specific needs of vulnerable groups such as Indigenous peoples and seek open dialog and communication with our neighbors in order to continuously strengthen trust in our business activities.
We strive to be a good neighbor at our sites, respect existing rights and respond to the needs of local communities and their residents. We create jobs and contribute to local value creation. We strive to protect the livelihoods of our neighbors and, in particular, show consideration for vulnerable groups such as Indigenous peoples and smallholders. We are committed to open communication and dialog between affected communities and BASF in order to strengthen trust in our activities. We discuss the sustainability topics that are material for BASF at regular meetings with external stakeholders as part of our strategic stakeholder engagement as well as in meetings with investors. On this basis, stakeholder expectations are continuously incorporated into the development of sustainability management approaches, targets and principles.
Societal engagement is a cornerstone of our corporate responsibility and part of our sustainability management. We want to contribute to an improved quality of life for everyone. To this end, we have firmly anchored the three pillars of sustainability (economy, environment and society) within our corporate purpose, our strategy, our objectives and our activities throughout the value chain. Our societal engagement is voluntary and goes beyond what is required by law, with the main aim to achieve positive impacts on society, the environment and BASF alike. Through our activities, we strive to strengthen the communities surrounding our sites worldwide and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In order to meet the nutrition needs of the future global population, more food needs to be produced using fewer resources. Together with our customers, we want to identify the most important levers for a more sustainable value chain in the food and feed industry. Sustainable productivity is key to safeguarding food supply in an environmentally friendly way, and our crop protection and seed products play a vital role in this regard.
