We create chemistry for a sustainable future
Chemistry has always been an enabler for innovation as it provides solutions to the needs of our society, combining care for the environment and economic success. Our growing population of an estimated 10bn people by 2050 will need access to affordable energy, housing, healthcare and quality of food. At the same time, we must strive to consume fewer resources. “Driving sustainable solutions should be the ultimate goal for companies, start-ups and academia aiming for profitable growth based on innovative chemistry – both ecologically friendly as well as socially accepted,” states Detlef Kratz, president for process research and chemical engineering at BASF.
“Looking at past years’ awards this has clearly been a driver of innovation, providing technologies that enable us to consume less with more efficient and better products.” With this in mind, sustainability-driven innovation has always been a cornerstone of BASF’s strategy, leading to a unique track record of novel products and processes. Just to name a few, the range includes highly energy efficient industrial chemical processes, innovative battery materials and projects which make a contribution to the circular economy and chemcycling. “Consequently, we’ve set ourselves an ambitious target: Based on our recent progress in developing low-emission and CO2-free technologies, we have significantly raised our mid-term target. By 2030 we now aim to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions worldwide by 25 percent compared with 2018, says Kratz. “And the company goes even one step further: By 2050, we believe we are able to achieve net zero emissions.”
Speed and adaption to change is a further challenge in today’s multi-facetted innovation landscape. BASF is committed to developing digital technologies and embraces data-driven research methods which have a rapidly expanding influence on R&D. BASF’s supercomputer Quriosity is just one example how this is put into practice.
“We would like to share this spirit with those who work on innovations in the chemical industry and are honoured to support the ICIS Innovation Awards again this year. Our recognition goes to all the teams and people behind contributions for a sustainable future,” adds Kratz.
