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Topics on this page:
GTZ study: Nanjing site is exemplary
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New biodegradable plastic based on renewable raw materials
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250th eco-efficiency analysis carried out
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'Best in Class' for climate protection
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Award for family-friendly policy
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First three-liter house unveiled in Korea
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BASF Corporation receives 'Best Sustainable Practice Award'
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BASF Brazil: Model for Social Responsibility
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BASF included in Innovest Nanotechnology Index
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Conference on sustainable chemistry
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Newsletter |
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January 2006 |
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Our newsletter "Sustainability and BASF" reports on related projects, workshops and other news and will appear two to three times a year.
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GTZ study: Nanjing site is exemplary
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In his speech, Georg Kell (Global Compact) emphasized the significance and model character of the study. |
The new BASF-YPC site in Nanjing, China, outperforms global health and safety standards. It is also creating and securing jobs in the region. These are the conclusions reached by an independent study commissioned by BASF and carried out by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) between January and September 2005. The aim of the study was to measure the economic, environmental and social impact of BASF's new Verbund site on the city of Nanjing and the surrounding region.
How do stakeholders assess the results of the study? To find out, BASF began by hosting a workshop in Nanjing at the end of 2005. The study was also presented in Shanghai at a conference on 'Does Foreign Direct Investment lead to Sustainable Development?' and discussed with experts including representatives of UN agencies, the World Bank and the WWF.
http://www.basf.de/FDI
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New biodegradable plastic based on renewable raw materials
BASF has developed its first biodegradable plastic based on renewable raw materials. Ecovio® consists of 45 percent polylactic acid, which is obtained from corn. The product's second component is BASF's existing biodegradable plastic Ecoflex®, which is derived from petrochemicals. Some of the many different applications of Ecovio® include flexible plastic bags and other packaging. Furthermore, by adding other components to Ecovio®, items such as cell phone casings and yogurt pots can be produced. The product's global market launch is planned for 2006. In the next five years BASF expects the world market for biodegradable plastics to grow by more than 20 percent per year.
BASF has identified renewable raw materials as one of the top sustainability issues, thus indicating the special relevance of this topic for the company today and in the future.
http://www.corporate.basf.com/en/sustainability/presse/pm.htm?pmid=2071
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250th eco-efficiency analysis carried out
The fertilizer ENTEC® 26 made by COMPO, which contains a nitrification inhibitor by BASF, is more eco-efficient than other tested fertilizers. This was the result of the 250th eco-efficiency analysis carried out by BASF's team of experts since the method was introduced in 1996.
The nitrification inhibitor means that the soil needs less fertilizer. ENTEC® 26 reduces the emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) released during the nitrification process by 50%. N2O is 300 times more harmful to the ozone layer than carbon dioxide (CO2). The nitrification inhibitor also significantly reduces the negative impact on groundwater.
Eco-efficiency analysis aims to identify products that combine the optimum in application with good environmental performance for BASF customers. The instrument studies the entire lifecycle of a product from raw material extraction to disposal. Around 15% of all eco-efficiency analyses have been commissioned by external customers.
The results of eco-efficiency analyses are evaluated and certified by independent institutes such as the Öko-Institut Freiburg (Germany), the TÜV Rheinland and Michigan Technological University.
http://www.basf.de/eco-efficiency
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'Best in Class' for climate protection
BASF has been honored as Best in Class for its strategy in addressing the challenges of climate change by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), and has again been included in the Climate Leadership Index. The CDP is an initiative comprising 155 institutional investors, who represent a total of $21 trillion in assets under management. The Carbon Disclosure Project supports the reporting of greenhouse gas emissions by companies and every year selects 60 of the world's top 500 companies according to how they deal with the opportunities and risks of climate change.
With its award, the CDP acknowledges BASF's success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Between 1990 and 2002, BASF voluntarily reduced greenhouse gas emissions per metric ton of sales product by 61 percent. The company plans a further 10 percent reduction by 2012.
http://www.basf.de/sustainable_investment
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Award for family-friendly policy
In September 2005, BASF Ludwigshafen was awarded the 'Beruf & Familie' ('career & family') basic audit certificate by the non-profit Hertie Foundation.
Alongside the company's existing activities, the audit for the award of the basic certificate also takes into account its future plans to help employees combine a career with family life. BASF is therefore keen to review its existing programs and gradually develop them.
New projects include building a second daycare center for children between six months and three years of age, actively promoting part-time work and increasing the ratio of women in management positions.
BASF will document its goal attainment progress in yearly reports to the Hertie Foundation. After successful re-auditing in three years, the company will then receive the final European work and family audit certificate.
http://www.sustainability.basf.com/en/sustainability/service/preise/
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First three-liter house unveiled in Korea
On December 7, 2005, BASF Company Ltd. inaugurated Korea's first three-liter house, built in collaboration with FuelCellPower Inc. and Daemlin Industrial Co., Ltd. BASF contributed its ultra-efficient insulating material Neopor® and its microencapsulated phase-change material Micronal® The company also provided its comprehensive expertise in the field of energy-efficient construction.
The three-liter house is a future-oriented and environmentally friendly building concept that uses energy-efficient construction technologies, insulating materials and fuel cells that make it possible to reduce oil consumption to only 3 liters per square meter per year.
http://corporate.basf.com/en/sustainability/service/regionen/asien/
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BASF Corporation receives 'Best Sustainable Practice Award'
BASF's eco-efficiency analysis was presented with the 'Best Sustainable Practice Award' at the annual conference of the Sustainable Buildings Industry Council (SBIC) in Washington D.C. The prize is awarded for outstanding innovations and contributions to sustainable building design, and paid tribute to the contribution made by the company's lifecycle assessment tool to sustainable building design. An example of BASF's practical solutions for sustainable building is its Near Zero Energy Home in Paterson, New Jersey. The home showcases for builders and homeowners how state-of-the-art technologies and materials can be used to build energy-efficient homes that also enhance the buildings' durability and aesthetic appeal.
http://www.sustainability.basf.com/en/sustainability/presse/
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BASF Brazil: Model for Social Responsibility
BASF was voted a 'Model in Social Responsibility' at the end of November by Exame magazine, Brazil's leading business publication. For the second year running, BASF was the only chemical company to be included in the selected group. More than 200 companies presented over 1,000 measures in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The jury included high-ranking representatives of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Brazilian Ministry for Planning.
The jury paid tribute above all to BASF's commitment to Espaço ECO, Latin America's first eco-efficiency competence center established in mid-2005 in São Bernardo do Campo. Here, in collaboration with the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ) and local partners, BASF offers its expertise and technology in the fields of eco-efficiency, environmental education and reforestation to companies throughout South America.
http://corporate.basf.com/en/sustainability/service/regionen/suedamerika/
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BASF included in Innovest Nanotechnology Index
BASF has been included in the Innovest Nanotechnology Index, an index of 15 companies that contribute to the responsible development of nanotechnology. The index was established by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors, a New York-based investment research group. The company evaluates 200 publicly traded and 100 private companies according to how they address the public's perception of the risks inherent in nanotechnology, and selects the best 15. The index assesses measures adopted to prevent risks through product strategies, risk management and product stewardship. BASF achieved especially good results in the product stewardship category.
http://www.basf.de/sustainable_investment
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Conference on sustainable chemistry
On January 30 and 31, 2006, the German Protestant Academy in collaboration with the Federal Environment Agency, Freiburg University's Applied Environmental Research Section along with BASF's Environment, Safety & Energy competence center is organizing a conference on 'Sustainable Chemistry: Experiences and Perspectives'. Using selected practical examples, the conference will be debating the main points of sustainable chemistry and discussing the ensuing challenges. Guest presentations, from BASF experts too, are intended to help highlight the potential, limits and framework conditions for a sustainable chemistry and identify starting points for sustainable development
Contact: satzger@ev-akademie-tutzing.de
Tel. 08158/251-126,
www.ev-akademie-tutzing.de
Contact:
Dr. Brigitte Dittrich-Krämer
BASF SE
Sustainability Center
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