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Topics on this page:
Success - added value through sustainability
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From the 3-liter house to the zero-heating cost house
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Neopor® - a key product for sustainable climate protection
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German government and industry give boost to new technology
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Renewable raw materials : new applications
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BASF ready for REACH • Worldwide review of labor and social standards
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Training for experts in distribution safety • New method of scientifically assessing sustainability developed
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China: sustainability in the value chain • Stakeholder seminar on eco-efficiency
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Integrating sustainability into business
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Strategic cooperation on clean fuels in China extended
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Newsletter |
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August 2007 |
Neopor® - a key product for sustainable climate protection
Thermal insulation is a particularly effective way of investing in climate protection. For the first time, Neopor®'s potential is now being fully realized by using BASF's silver-gray plastic granules to produce high-performance insulating materials. Neopor® insulation panels have the same insulating performance as panels made of its ancestor, white Styropor®, while needing about one third or less raw material. The granules contain special graphite particles that reflect heat radiation like a mirror, thus reducing thermal losses. Today Neopor® panels can be used in all kinds of buildings, whether old or new, single-family homes or multi-unit housing complexes. In this way, BASF's granules actively contribute to climate protection. Typical applications for Neopor® include external thermal insulation composite systems as well as the insulation of pitched and flat roofs and attic and basement ceilings. Because of the high demand for Neopor®, BASF is expanding its production capacities. In Ludwigshafen, the capacity will be gradually increased from 60,000 to 190,000 metric tons per year. BASF recently also commenced producing the granules in South Korea.
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BASF ready for REACH
The new EU chemicals directive for Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals (REACH) came into force in June 2007. REACH concerns every company which produces, imports or uses chemicals. Its aim is to further improve human and environmental protection. With its dedicated central database, BASF is well prepared and will register approximately 2,500 chemical entities under the terms of REACH.
In its "BASF Voluntary Commitment - Product Stewardship 2015", BASF is going a step further by conducting a risk assessment of all substances produced or sold worldwide in the BASF Group in quantities of more then 1 metric ton per year by 2015. This assessment is based on the REACH guidelines.
Through its sustainability initiative Success, BASF will also be making use of its long expertise to support manufacturers, users and importers in implementing the new legislation.
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Worldwide review of labor and social standards
The worldwide compliance hotlines were set up six years ago to monitor breaches of BASF's code of conduct. If doubts arise regarding the legal acceptability of one's own behavior or if legally doubtful activities are suspected in the work environment, employees are able to report their concerns anonymously and confidentially to the Shearman & Sterling law office. Employees now also have the possibility of submitting complaints regarding compliance with internationally recognized labor and social standards. With the new hotline, main emphasis will be upon various aspects of a company's corporate social responsibility (CSR). This covers topics such as country specific working hours, the legal minimum wage, adherence to antidiscrimination directives and respecting the principles of freedom of association. BASF has long adopted a clear stance on these issues with its Values and Principles which are applicable for all BASF employees worldwide. Employees who nevertheless observe abuses of whatever kind can now report them anonymously and confidentially through the new hotline.
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China: sustainability in the value chain
In April, the China Business Council for Sustainable Development (CBCSD) launched the CSR project "1+3" in Beijing. At the initiative of sustainable development pioneers including BASF, Sinopec and Philips Electronics, almost 50 small and medium-sized enterprises made a commitment to CSR during the event. The project works like this: one member company of CBCSD forms a team with three business partners along the supply chain. Ideally, this would be a customer, a supplier and a logistics service provider. The aim is to promote CSR concepts by systematically supporting partners with best practices, expertise and customized solutions. The three companies then introduce the same model to three more business partners along their own supply chain, creating a snowball effect in which the successful principles of sustainability are propagated onwards. Like the other companies, BASF also benefits from the feedback process and can enhance their business units' strategic partnerships. Currently, six of BASF's partners are directly involved in the project.
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Stakeholder seminar on eco-efficiency
In April more than 30 participants attended BASF Corporation's third Eco-efficiency Seminar at the American Chemistry Council headquarters in Virginia. Customers participated alongside organizations such as the United States Environmental Protection Agency, universities, life-cycle consultants and representatives of BASF.
BASF's Product Stewardship Department conducted a series of seminars on the importance of integrating the principles of Sustainable Development into product development and business strategies.
"We are committed to help shaping a sustainable future for stakeholders through education and training in eco-efficiency analysis, and the strong turnout at this event testifies to the value our customers attach to this tool", stated the responsible BASF representative Chris Bradlee.
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Strategic cooperation on clean fuels in China extended
At the inauguration of the first independent diesel engine testing laboratory, BASF and the State Environmental Protection Administration of China (SEPA) extended their bilateral strategic cooperation on clean fuels. The lab is jointly sponsored by BASF and the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences (CRAES), under the administration of SEPA. BASF not only supported the project financially, but also provided advanced technologies and R&D expertise during the process. The goal of the new lab is to support China in further reducing vehicle emissions and bring about a greener environment for Beijing in the runup to 2008, thereby contributing to Beijing's 'green' Olympic commitment. BASF and SEPA agreed to extend their cooperation by identifying selected industry sectors in which the eco-efficiency analysis can be established as a means of putting into practice the principles of sustainable development.
Contact:
Tanja Castor
BASF SE
Sustainability Center
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