Carbon footprint:
We care about reducing our carbon footprint
But how much greenhouse gas emissions are associated with a single product along its life cycle? A Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) sums up the total greenhouse gas emissions generated by a product over the different stages of its life cycle. For example, a cradle-to-gate (partial) PCF considers all the processes from extraction of resources through manufacturing of precursors and the making of the final product itself up to the point where it leaves the company gate.
The global scientifically community agrees: greenhouse gas emissions is one of the main driver of climate change. For this reason, BASF is continuously working to achieve net zero CO2 emissions by 2050.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is clearly reflected in all of our sustainability measures, like shifting from fossil resources to renewable feedstocks or supporting sustainable farming practices to reduce deforestation, or innovation that enables energy saving and emission reduction.
To answer this need, BASF has developed a digital application to calculate the cradle-to-gate PCFs for its 45,000 sales products. The product Carbon Footprint (PCF) realistically measures the cradle-to-gate greenhouse gas emissions for BASF’s sales products from the origin of the raw material to the moment the product leaves our gates
Concepts for Product Carbon Footprint reduction
We offer various ways to reduce the carbon footprint of our products by means of substituting conventional feedstocks with sustainable feedstock in a mass balance approach. The resulting BASF sales products from all these approaches have the same properties as products based on the conventional raw materials – but with a lower carbon footprint.
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
RSPO certified products come with a lower PCF because certified sustainable production of palm kernel oil shows a lower global warming impact compared to the non-certified production.
BASF is an active member of the multi-stakeholder initiative Roundtable of Sustainable Palm Oil from the very beginning in 2004. A significant share of our products is based on renewable raw materials, of which a substantial ratio is palm oil based. We are one of the major users of palm kernel oil and its derivatives and to a lesser extent palm oil. We process those products among others into ingredients for personal care applications. BASF offers a very broad range of ingredients based on RSPO-certified sustainable palm kernel oil in accordance with its principles and criteria. Since launching certified ingredients in 2012, BASF has been continuously moving toward a comprehensive global product range.
BASF's biomass balance approach
Another example is BASF's biomass balance approach, in which fossil resources are replaced by renewable raw materials in the production Verbund and mathematically allocated to the sales product.
OK renewable certification
The OK renewable certification ensures that products meet strict standards for renewable carbon. It is part of the Renewable Carbon Initiative (RCI), founded in 2020, which brings together companies that promote sustainable carbon. The aim is to define the proportion of renewable carbon that comes from the biosphere, atmosphere, or recycling, but not from fossil sources. BASF is a member of the initiative and has contributed to its development.
The label integrates various sources of renewable carbon and was developed with the support of TÜV Austria. It accepts both segregated and mass balance value chains, so that renewable carbon can be allocated to physical products by tracking quantities through the supply chain and allowing the use of renwable raw material volumes to match the claim. This enables companies to replace fossil raw materials with sustainable alternatives and supports CO2 reduction. The certification complements existing systems and promotes the development of a renewable carbon economy.
One example: Dehydol® LT 7 EcoBalanced our nonionic surfactant for detergent and cleaner industry.