Sustainability has become an increasingly important business priority, driven by growing expectations for transparency, CO₂ reduction, and circularity across the value chain. Formulators, engineers, and product developers looking for practical ways to advance this transformation can now evaluate BASF’s Engineering Plastics Sustainability Toolbox: a portfolio of materials, services, and digital solutions built to support sustainability goals and create measurable value.
You can review BASF’s grades in the Master Catalog of Plastics.
Green energy manufacturing without changing product quality
With the Engineering Plastics Sustainability Toolbox, BASF makes sustainability measures in the plastics industry tangible and actionable. Green Energy Manufacturing is one core component: it provides Engineering Plastics produced using renewable energy and helps formulators reduce their carbon footprint* while supporting their own emission targets.
Green Energy Manufacturing refers to the use of renewable energy sources, such as electricity, steam, and heat, throughout all stages of chemical production. Fossil energy inputs such as natural gas are replaced with renewable alternatives, while physical product quality remains unchanged.
Renewable steam and renewable heat are key energy carriers that contribute to a reduced carbon footprint compared with fossil-based energy carriers. At BASF, these energy carriers can be generated using renewable electricity (for example, electric boilers and heat pumps), process waste heat, or biomethane to substitute fossil methane.
BASF states that it implements this transition as a drop-in solution: production processes remain unchanged while the carbon footprint is reduced.** This approach supports progress toward climate neutrality. It also creates an advantage for companies that must comply with CSRD requirements and pursue ambitious emission targets of their own. Scope 3.1 emissions (purchased goods and services) represent a major challenge for participants across the value chain, which is why this approach is particularly relevant.
Integrates into existing manufacturing process
According to the company, this approach is already producing results across the value chain. Eaton, a company in intelligent power management, is working with BASF to integrate materials with a reduced Product Carbon Footprint (rPCF).** This work is part of a broader strategy to advance Eaton’s own sustainability transformation together with key suppliers, addressing evolving customer requirements.
BASF’s material development work and Eaton’s manufacturing expertise combine to rethink how materials can be sourced, produced, and deployed at industrial scale.
Eaton has already launched initial implementations at its manufacturing facility in Schrems, Austria.
These materials integrate directly into Eaton’s existing processes, so formulators and engineers can implement them without modifying established manufacturing operations. This supports faster adoption and helps reduce the carbon footprint of products across the value chain.
“Collaborating with suppliers such as BASF helps Eaton accelerate the achievement of our sustainability goals by reducing the carbon footprint of our high-volume electrical products – without compromising performance, safety, or manufacturing efficiency. Solutions that integrate seamlessly into existing processes are particularly important as industry scales up its decarbonization efforts,” says Riccardo Di Federico, Product Line leader, Final Distribution at Eaton.
One reduced PCF product cuts approximately 1,000 metric tons of footprint
Germany’s automotive industry, a key sector for the country, is also undergoing significant transformation. Electromobility, sustainable supply chains, and responsible green sourcing are all becoming increasingly important within this shift.
Bosch has opted for a consistent focus on Green Energy Manufacturing and views this offering as a key and necessary contribution by the raw materials industry to green transformation. For a BASF product with a reduced Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) purchased by Bosch, the quantity sourced in 2026 is expected to result in a reduction of approximately 1,000 metric tons of CO₂ equivalents* in carbon footprint, without requiring extensive modifications or process changes.
“As a long-standing supplier in the field of thermoplastics, BASF ensures high standards of quality and innovation for our products. In particular, their global presence and the use of carbon-reduced materials make a significant contribution to our competitiveness,” says Selina Schober, global supplier key account manager, Global Purchasing Raw Material Plastics, Robert Bosch GmbH.
Supports companies in reaching individual sustainability goals
The company states that as early as 2025, companies using BASF Engineering Plastics solutions were able to reduce their carbon footprint by around 2,000 metric tons per year*, a measurable contribution to climate protection that demonstrates the value of these solutions for the environment, regulatory compliance, and competitiveness.
Beyond Green Energy Manufacturing, the Engineering Plastics Sustainability Toolbox includes further solution approaches that support companies in reaching their individual sustainability goals. These include mechanical recycling with high-quality recyclates, as well as mass balance solutions based on the use of alternative raw materials at the beginning of the value chain. This range of solutions allows formulators and engineers to respond flexibly to regulatory requirements and to position their own products sustainably within the competitive landscape.
BASF reports that it supports its customers in reaching ambitious climate targets, reducing their carbon footprint, and positioning themselves as responsible partners. Customer success stories indicate that these solutions can be both environmentally viable and economically attractive.
You can compare plastics grades with a low or zero emissions directly in the Master Catalog of Plastics.
* The product carbon footprint (PCF) calculations follow the requirements and guidance given by ISO 14067:2018. In a methodology review, TÜV Rheinland has confirmed that the PCF (SCOTT) methodology developed and used by BASF SE is scientifically-based, is in accordance with ISO 14067:2018 and the “Together for Sustainability PCF Guideline 2”.
** Reduced PCF products incorporate active reduction measure(s) and have cradle-to-gate product carbon footprints (PCFs) that are at least 10.0% lower than the PCF of the comparable conventional BASF product reduction measures – such as electricity and/or steam from renewable energy sources – were applied, partially based on the chain-of-custody model “Mass Balance (credit method)”. At the respective BASF sites, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) have been secured and/or renewable steam has been produced to partially or fully meet the electricity and/or steam requirements for producing this product.