BASF is implementing sustainability in personal care all along the value chain . Andrew Warmington met the head of applied sustainability at In-Cosmetics Global
Pulling the levers for sustainability
BASF is implementing sustainability in personal care all along the value chain . Andrew Warmington met the head of applied sustainability at In-Cosmetics Global
When we talk sustainability , we talk about the whole value chain ,” said Dr Becky Stiles , head of applied sustainability at BASF Care Chemicals , who was speaking on ‘ Transparency in Product Carbon Footprints ( PCFs ) & Levers to Reduce Them ’ and separately with SCM at In-Cosmetics Global in Paris in April . The event also saw the launch of BASF ’ s Beyond Beauty campaign , to promote “ the personal care industry ' s transition to more sustainable solutions .
“ Sustainability starts at the very beginning with sourcing responsibly , and even certified sustainably in some cases , with our own suppliers ,” Stiles said . In our own operations we are producing efficiently and sustainably . For our customers we are providing innovation and sustainable solutions .”
This has already been a long journey at corporate level . BASF reduced its emissions by approximately 50 % between 1990 and 2021 , while doubling production volumes . The company has set targets of 25 % reductions of emissions associated with Scope 1 ( those it generates itself in manufacturing ) and Scope 2 ( those arising from energy purchased ) by 2030 as compared with 2018 , on the road to hitting Net Zero by 2050 .
It also recently established a new operating division called the Net Zero Accelerator , where it is investing in new technologies and renewable energy to speed that development across all sectors .
Levers being pulled
Stiles identified five main ‘ levers ’ BASF , and the Care Chemicals division in particular , are operating in pursuit of its sustainability goals : 1 . Transition from fossil-based to renewable power , such as acquiring a 49 % stake in the world ’ s largest offshore wind farm in the North Sea to supply power to its major sites 2 . Electrification of its production processes ( for instance , piloting an electric furnace for a steam cracker at the Ludwigshafen verbund site ) 3 . New technologies , including carbon capture and storage , and later utilisation 4 . Increased use of biobased feedstocks 5 . Continuous operational excellence in production
At the end of 2023 , BASF announced a new ‘ Scope 3.1 ’ initiative . This refers to the emissions associated with the upstream extraction , processing and transportation of the raw materials it consumes . These account for about 70 % of total emissions in the supply chain .