Responsible sourcing:
We care about sustainable supply chains
Sustainability begins at the source and carries through along the entire value chain. For this reason, 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. Together with our suppliers we want to increase the share of renewable ingredients in our portfolio, but also to improve sustainability in the supply chain and minimize risks. We are engaged in a range of initiatives to foster sustainable farm practices and enhance the wellbeing of farmers and workers.
Our portfolio:
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. The draining of peat soils to grow palm is a further factor in climate change. These are some of the reasons why BASF became a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in 2004. Since then, we have actively participated in consultations within the organization.
Two of our key renewable raw materials are palm oil and palm kernel oil and their respective derivatives, which we mainly use to produce home and personal care ingredients and, to a lesser extent, food ingredients. Oil palm plantations can contribute significantly to 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 the impact on the environment.
As one of the leading processors of palm (kernel) oil within the Home and Personal Care Industry, we regularly show you the progress being made on our journey toward sustainable oil palm products.
Our primary concern is to ensure that our products are produced from sustainably sourced palm products. We see it as our responsibility to work intensively with the companies we buy our raw materials from, to engage more closely with the palm supply chain from the smallholder to the end consumer, and to address the consequences of using and selling products based on palm oil and palm kernel oil.
For the latest figures, the current Palm Dialogue, and more information on our entire sustainable palm strategy, click here: Sustainable Palm Oil
Sustainable coconut oil
Coconut oil is an important feedstock for the chemical industry. BASF uses coconut oil to manufacture ingredients for products such as cosmetic products, detergents and cleaning agents.
BASF is the world’s first chemical company to offer certified sustainable ingredients for personal care products based on coconut oil. Following our production site in Cassina Rizzardi, Italy, we successfully certified another site in Zona Franca, Spain. This is the next important step to ensure that its renewable-based products are made from sustainably sourced raw materials. The company was certified according to the Rainforest Alliance Mass Balance Coconut certification scheme. Mass balance (MB) is a supply chain model that fosters the physical flow of certified raw materials within the supply chains, while the farmers benefit from selling Rainforest Alliance Certified coconuts and copra.
As part of our sustainability strategy, BASF cooperated with Cargill, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) in a development partnership under the develoPPP.de program commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
BASF has begun purchasing certified sustainable coconut oil, whose origin can be traced back to Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farms in General Santos in the Philippines. The alliance introduced certified sustainable coconut oil in 2018.
Alongside establishing a certified environmentally compatible coconut oil supply chain, a main goal of the partnership is to improve the lives of coconut smallholder farmers in selected regions of the Philippines and Indonesia by working with them and teaching them better agricultural practices.
In addition, consumers are increasingly aware of environmental issues associated with coconut farming, and favor products based on sustainably sourced feedstocks. Find out more about our entire sustainable coconut oil strategy.
Sustainable castor oil
Castor oil, derived from the castor bean, is an essential ingredient in a wide array of formulations. The oil and its derivatives are used as raw material in the production of, for example, plastics, coatings and paints, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals. As is the case with many crops, there are sustainability issues surrounding some types of castor bean farming. Up to now, however, there have been no globally defined and recognized standards for certification. In response, we launched the Sustainable Castor Initiative “Pragati” in 2016 together with the companies Arkema, Jayant Agro and the non-governmental organization Solidaridad.
The project aims to improve the economic situation of castor farmers in India and at the same time raise awareness for sustainable farming. India accounts for around 80% of the castor beans grown worldwide, mostly in smallholder structures. Farmers are trained on the basis of the specially developed sustainability code “Sustainable Castor Caring for Environmental and Social Standards” (SuCCESS) in areas such as cultivation methods, efficient water use, health and the safe use of crop protection products. Since the start of the project, more than 6200 smallholders and over 19000 hectares of land have been certified for sustainable castor cultivation.
In 2019, the founders of the Pragati initiative launched the Sustainable Castor Association (SCA), which has developed a sustainability code for the wider supply chain in addition to SuCCESS. This makes it possible to further process the castor beans obtained from the program into certified castor oil and derivatives and to bring them into the downstream supply chain. Following successful auditing of our supply chain by an independent certification body, we were able to source certified sustainable castor oil from the program for the first time in 2021. Since the project was initiated, more than 7,000 smallholders and over 27,000 hectares of land have been certified for sustainable castor cultivation. In 2023, we again sourced certified sustainable castor oil from the program after our Düsseldorf-Holthausen site in Germany became the first chemical company in the world to be certified in 2021. The site supplies customers with the first certified products based on certified sustainable castor oil.Since the project was initiated, more than 7,000 smallholders and over 27,000 hectares of land have been certified for sustainable castor cultivation. In 2023, we again sourced certified sustainable castor oil from the program after our Düsseldorf-Holthausen site in Germany became the first chemical company in the world to be certified in 2021. The site supplies customers with the first certified products based on certified sustainable castor oil.
Sustainable rambutan
In response to the increasing 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 benefits and applications of the healthy super-fruit, its husk and kernel as well as other parts of the tree. The result has been a wide array of renewable, natural ingredients
The project, based in Vietnam, was preceded by research into the potential personal care benefits of extracts derived from different parts of the rambutan tree and its fruit. This was to a large extent made possible by BASF’s interdisciplinary innovation platforms for active ingredients, one of which focuses on the extraction of valuable substances from plant material.
Rambutan (nephelium lappaceum), which is native to the humid tropics of Southeast Asia, is closely related to the lychee and mainly cultivated for its fruit. It has also been valued traditionally across Asia for multiple health benefits.
For example, the fruit has long been used to treat dysentery and fever. In addition, a poultice made of the leaves has been used to treat headaches, while a decoction of the bark is applied for tongue disease and mashed roasted seeds are used to control blood sugar levels. The program respects the needs and interests of local ecosystems as well as smallholders and workers. It helps protect biodiversity, while enhancing conditions for local populations.
Find out more about our sustainable rambutan strategy.
Products added to catalog 
Something went wrong. Could not add products to catalog! 
