Responsible sourcing:
We care about sustainable supply chains
Sustainability begins at the source and carries through along the entire value chain, so responsible sourcing is a key element of our sustainability strategy. BASF sources a wide range of raw materials, technical goods, and services. Our suppliers are an important part of our value chain, and together we are committed to increasing the share of renewable ingredients in our portfolio. We are also driven to improve sustainability in the supply chain and minimize risks. We are actively engaged in a range of initiatives to foster sustainable farm practices and enhance the wellbeing of farmers and workers.
Sustainable palm oil
Palm oil, palm kernel oil, and their respective derivatives are valuable raw materials for home and personal care ingredients. However, oil palm plantations can contribute significantly to deforestation and loss of biodiversity, and the draining of peat soils to grow palm is a further factor in climate change. BASF joined the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004 to address these issues. Since then, we have actively participated in consultations within the organization.
Two of our main renewable raw materials are palm oil and palm kernel oil, along with their derivatives. We primarily use these to produce ingredients for home and personal care products, with some being used for food ingredients. Oil palm plantations can have a significant impact on deforestation, loss of biodiversity and climate change from the loss of peatland. We share the widespread concern about these challenges and are committed to reducing our environmental impact.
As one of the leading processors of palm (kernel) oil within the Home and Personal Care Industry, we constantly demonstrate our progress on our journey toward sustainable oil palm products.
It is our primary concern is to ensure that our products are produced from sustainably sourced palm products. We take responsibility for working closely with the companies from which we buy raw materials, engaging more closely with the palm supply chain from smallholders to end consumers, and addressing the consequences of using and selling products containing on palm oil and palm kernel oil.
Check here for the latest figures and more information on our entire sustainable palm strategy: Sustainable Palm Oil
Sustainable coconut oil
Coconut oil is a vital feedstock for the chemical industry. BASF uses coconut oil to manufacture ingredients for products like cosmetic products, detergents and cleaning agents.
BASF is one of the first chemical companies to offer sustainable ingredients for personal care products made from Rainforest Alliance certified coconut oil. After successfully certifying our production site in Cassina Rizzardi, Italy, we have now certified another site in Zona Franca, Spain. This is a key step in ensuring our renewable-based products are made from sustainably sourced raw materials. The company is certified according to the Rainforest Alliance Mass Balance Coconut certification scheme.
Mass balance (MB) is a supply chain model that promotes the physical flow of certified raw materials within the supply chain. Farmers benefit by selling Rainforest Alliance Certified coconuts and copra.
Consumers are increasingly aware of environmental issues associated with coconut farming, and favor products based on sustainably sourced feedstocks.
Sustainable castor oil
Castor oil is used in a variety of industries, including the cosmetics sector. About 87% of the world’s castor seeds are produced in India*. The castor plant has sustainable qualities: it is drought resistant and does not compete with the food chain for human or animal consumption. It is also an important and profitable crop for farmers, offering several advantages: it thrives on marginal soils, yields a substantial crop, and is easy to store and sell due to its long shelf life.
* FAOSTAT (2024)
Project Pragati
To address the social and environmental risks of castor cultivation, BASF has teamed up with Arkema, Jayant Agro-Organics Ltd. and the international civil society organization Solidaridad and launched the Pragati project back in 2016.
SOCIAL RISKS
- Risk of child labor
- Insufficient labor and living standards
- Financial issues
ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS
- Limited knowledge of best farming practices, soil protection and crop rotation
- Threat to biodiversity
- Weather changes can cause yield instability
HEALTH RISKS
- Physical problems caused by field work
- Toxicity risk of castor seeds (contains ricin)
- Limited access to health care
SAFETY RISKS
- Lack of personal protective equipment
- Limited knowledge of safe and appropriate use of fertilizers and crop protection products
Objectives
OBJECTIVE 1
Development of sustainability principles for the sourcing of castor seeds that will enable castor producers to offer certified sustainable castor to the global market.
OBJECTIVE 2
To improve the productivity and sustainability of the castor supply chain in India, particularly in Gujarat, thereby enhancing the economic self-sufficiency and livelihoods of smallholder farmers.
Focussing on
- Using good agricultural practices to increase yields and farmer incomes
- Using water resources efficiently and maintaining soil fertility
- Promoting the adoption of good waste management practices
- Enabling better health and safety practices
Third phase of Pragati project
The Pragati program is now in its third phase (2023–2026), with an expanded focus on supporting and increasing women’s participation in castor farming. In the 2024–2025 season, the initiative trained more than 1,150 women farmers, emphasizing good agricultural practices and financial planning to bolster their roles in farm management, financial resilience, and community leadership. Through structured training, exposure visits, and access to information on government welfare schemes, Pragati empowers women farmers as active decision-makers within the castor value chain.
SuCCESS Certification for castor supply chain
BASF and its partners, who jointly advanced sustainable castor farming in India through project Pragati, were also the founding members of the Sustainable Castor Association (SCA). The SCA is a not‑for‑profit organization that brings together all stakeholders in the castor value chain—including industry, civil society, and environmental and social NGOs—to develop and implement the SuCCESS Code.
SuCCESS, which stands for Sustainable Castor Caring for Environment & Social Standards, is regarded as the first independently auditable standard for sustainable castor production. It is designed to address key social, environmental, and economic challenges. The Code is structured around eleven principles of sustainable castor production, covering social and environmental aspects, as well as good agricultural practices. It encompasses workers’ welfare and protection, waste and pollution management; biodiversity, soil and water management, ecological balance, safe use of crop protection products and others.
Accountability at farm level is ensured through a rigorous verification system. The SuCCESS Standard requires adherence to 41 mandatory and 35 non‑mandatory control points, all specifically tailored to the needs and realities of castor farmers.
BASF has demonstrated a strong commitment to the SuCCESS code by certifying three production sites, becoming the first chemical company to achieve SuCCESS certification in 2022.
Following certification, BASF began supplying SuCCESS‑certified ingredients to the Personal Care industry.
Today, BASF offers six SuCCESS-certified castor-based Personal Care, enabling customers to access sustainably grown raw materials. By choosing these ingredients, customers support a supply chain that promotes responsible farming practices, reduces environmental impact, respects human rights, and improves safety and working conditions for farmers. Together, these efforts help deliver high‑performance solutions while creating positive outcomes for people and the planet.
Key Outcome 2025
>140,000
tons of certified castor seeds have been cultivated since the beginning of the project
3
BASF production sites are certified according to the SuCCESS code
>150
medical camps have been organized
>10,000
farmers have been certified
>12,000
hectares have been farmed in accordance with the SuCCESS code
Year 9 yield is 32% higher
than the government estimates for the entire state
>10,000
personal protective equipment (PPE) kits were distributed free of charge
30% reduction
in on-farm water use recorded compared to conventional cultivation, through adoption of efficient irrigation practices.
This season,
more than 450 capacity-building training sessions
were held with farmers.
Over 500 lead farmers
have been trained to strengthen peer-to-peer learning.
Sustainable rambutan
In response to growing consumer demand for sustainably sourced, natural cosmetics and in line with BASF’s commitment to sustainability goals, the company’s Care Chemicals division launched the Rambutan Program in 2014. Its objective: to explore the benefits and applications of the healthy superfruit, its husk and kernel, as well as other parts of the tree. The result is a wide range of renewable, natural ingredients.
The project, based in Vietnam, was preceded by research into the potential personal care benefits of extracts from different parts of the rambutan tree and its fruit. This was made possible in large part by BASF’s interdisciplinary innovation platforms for active ingredients, one of which focuses on the extraction of valuable components from plant material.
Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum), native to the humid tropics of Southeast Asia, is closely related to the lychee and is cultivated primarily for its fruit. It has also been traditionally valued throughout Asia for various health benefits.
BASF’s Rambutan program, that aims to valorize the non-edible parts, respects the needs and interests of local ecosystems, as well as smallholders and workers. It helps protect biodiversity, while improving the livelihoods of local people involved in the cultivation and harvest.
Learn more about our sustainable rambutan strategy.
