Business Models of the Segments: Standalone Businesses
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Surface Technologies
Some of our standalone businesses are bundled in the Surface Technologies segment, consisting of the Battery Materials and Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions divisions. Together with our customers, we develop novel products and technologies for emissions catalysts, coatings and battery materials. We also offer services in the areas of precious and base metals. We leverage our portfolio of technologies to find the best solution for our customers in terms of performance and cost and thus to generate growth. This helps our customers to drive forward innovation in their industries and contribute to more sustainable development.
Our key growth drivers are the increasing demand for chemicals in the automotive market, especially in Asia, and the shift toward more sustainable low-emission mobility. As one of the largest chemical suppliers to the automotive industry, the segment is developing customized, more sustainable solutions for battery and catalyst recycling in close cooperation with its customers. Our specialties and system solutions in these areas enable our customers to stand out from their competitors.
Until October 2025, the Surface Technologies segment also included the Coatings division, which is no longer listed as part of the segment due to the following transactions: On October 1, 2025, BASF completed the sale of its Brazilian decorative paints business to Sherwin-Williams. In addition, on October 10, 2025, BASF and Carlyle announced they had signed an agreement for the sale of BASF’s automotive OEM coatings, automotive refinish coatings and surface treatment business units. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to the approval of the relevant competition authorities (for more information see material investments and portfolio measures).
Agricultural Solutions
The Agricultural Solutions division, which shares its name with the segment, is one of our standalone businesses. As one of the world’s leading agricultural solutions companies, we are making a positive impact on sustainably transforming agriculture and food systems. The goal of efficient farming is to provide healthy and affordable food globally to a rapidly growing world population.1 At the same time, farmers must reduce their environmental impact as natural resources are limited. We support them in achieving this and strive to contribute to building a sustainable future for agriculture by connecting innovation, customers and society.
The segment’s strategy focuses on long-term and profitable growth within selected crops and their appropriate cultivation systems: soy, corn (maize) and cotton in the Americas; wheat, canola (oilseed rape) and sunflower in North America and Europe; rice in Asia; and fruit and vegetables globally. Our sustainability approaches are integral to all business and portfolio decisions. In this way, we help farmers sustainably grow more and higher-quality crops.
We leverage our expertise in research and development as well as our many years of experience working with growers, data and artificial intelligence to provide crop-specific offers across technologies. These include novel solutions for seeds and traits, seed treatment, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, biological solutions and digital products tailored to the farming needs of their region and crop systems.
1 Compared with 2024, the world’s population is expected to grow by around 1.5 billion people by 2050; source: UN World Population Prospects 2024.