BASF Catalysts offers exceptional expertise in the development of technologies that protect the air we breathe, produce the fuels that power our world and ensure efficient production of a wide variety of chemicals, plastics and other products including advanced battery materials. BASF’s Catalysts division is the world’s leading supplier of environmental and process catalysts. The group offers exceptional expertise in the development of technologies that protect the air we breathe, produce the fuels that power our world and ensure efficient production of a wide variety of chemicals, plastics and other products, including advanced battery materials. We believe mobility’s future lies in more than just products. So where others come to a full stop, we’re just getting started—by leveraging the full power of BASF to continually advance our comprehensive package of sustainable solutions that enable us to travel further, as well as above and beyond. A leading supplier of high performance cathode active materials (CAM) for electrified vehicles to battery producers and automotive OEMs around the world. Protecting the air we breathe from harmful emissions through innovation. BASF leverages unsurpassed expertise in the development of emission control technologies for a wide range of market applications. BASF is committed to advancing and promoting environmentally-sound technologies to achieve a sustainable future in aviation. Offering 50 years of experience developing intelligent solutions for air quality over a wide range of applications — enabling clean air for a healthier, more sustainable future. As the global leader in chemical catalysts, BASF develops cutting-edge catalyst chemistry with our customers’ needs in mind. We want to contribute to a world that provides a viable future with enhanced quality of life for everyone. We do so by creating chemistry for our customers and society and by making the best use of available resources. BASF offers the widest portfolio of adsorbent technologies for a broad spectrum of applications in industries such as refining, petrochemical, chemical, and gas processing. Syngas, produced from natural gas or coal, is a key intermediate in the emerging technologies for gas-to-liquids (GTL), methanol-to-olefins, coal-to-liquids and fuel cells. At BASF, our Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) catalyst and additive offerings together with our expert technical services build the right solution to create value within any unit’s constraints. Paving the way toward a brighter, more secure future. Manufacturing products for sustainable solutions, reducing emissions from our processes, and using non-fossil fueled energy sources – all of these efforts help lead BASF on a continuing journey of sustainability. BASF Natural Gas experts have a diverse portfolio of products to custom design a solution and help you meet your Natural Gas treatment needs. BASF has been serving the natural gas treatment market for over 60 years. Innovative, step-change technology with dual-purpose performance: removal of heavy hydrocarbons and water to cryogenic specifications in a single unit. With more than 150 years of experience in metal sourcing, trading, and hedging, we’ve built tangible results for our industrial customers. With more than 100 years of experience in recycling materials, BASF’s end-to-end recycling program is known and trusted around the globe. As a leader in precious-metal thermocouples for many years, BASF recently applied its technological expertise to optical-based temperature measurement. Developing and producing pharmaceutical ingredients for more than 75 years, enabling us to provide the solutions you need to meet today's and tomorrow's challenges for your pharmaceutical business. Find the latest news and media information for BASF’s Catalysts division, headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey, USA, the world’s leading supplier of environmental and process catalysts. Explore this collection of resources to learn more about our innovative research and Catalyst solutions.
BASF Catalysts | Facility Syngas

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Sustainability

Our ambition is to create a sustainable battery materials value chain for electric vehicles.

Electromobility is one of the key solutions to merge the global desire for individual mobility and the need to significantly reduce local emissions, especially in combination with renewable energy. As a global leading supplier of battery materials for lithium-ion batteries, we aim to contribute to sustainable battery materials value chain and make electromobility a practical reality for everyone.

Peter head

"Our battery materials complements BASF‘s overall product portfolio delivering solutions to our customers from the automotive industry. While battery electric vehicles have the benefit of zero emission mobility, the battery itself and its raw material value chain require an energy intensive production process. BASF can help keep the carbon footprint of the value chain for electromobility as low as possible. Our cathode active materials will have an industry leading low CO₂ impact thanks to our efficient manufacturing process, the high share of renewable energy, the upstream integration into the key raw materials like Cobalt and Nickel, as well as the short transportation route along the value chain.”

Dr. Peter Schuhmacher, President, Catalysts Division at BASF


"We strongly believe that electromobility should be based on batteries that are produced with the highest possible social and environmental standards. BASF is contributing with lowest-CO₂ cathode active material solutions to relentlessly strive for a unique, reliable and sustainable battery value chain. We practice sustainable raw materials sourcing and leverage recycling solutions without compromising performance and cost competitiveness.”

Dr. Michael Baier, Senior Vice President of Battery Materials, Catalysts Division at BASF
Michael head

Reduced CO2 footprint of our European value chain

As a leading chemical company, we are committed to reduce our absolute CO2 emissions by 25% by 2030 and aim to achieve CO2 neutral growth by 2050. We are determined to provide innovative high-performance products with a minimized CO2 footprint along the battery value chain.

  • Effectively research and develop cathode active materials with a higher energy density leading to less materials consumption for batteries and enabling a longer driving range of cars
  • Implement innovative calcination technologies
  • Leading production technologies for reaction steps

In Europe, our recent investments will enable us with:

  • Efficiency gains through a concentrated value chain combining base metal supply, particularly nickel and cobalt, precursor production, and cathode material production within one region.
  • An industry leading energy mix and closed-loop recycling will allow for lower CO2 footprint compared to the average industry standard.
  • Short and reliable access to products in proximity to customers’ European manufacturing facilities will reduce the energy consumption during transportation
BASF Catalysts | CO₂ Tree
BASF Catalysts | EBMI Schwarzheide Germany Plant

Visualisation of the future plant for cathode active materials in Schwarzheide, Germany.

Our new plant in Schwarzheide will use an energy-efficient gas and steam turbine power plant that operates on the principle of combined heat and power generation. It is currently being modernized to further increase its eco-efficiency. Further integration of renewable energies is also planned. The Harjavalta plant will use 100% locally generated renewable electrical energy resources, including hydro, wind and biomass-based power.

Through regional production in combination with renewable energy sources as well as use of energy efficient and proprietary process technologies in our new plants in Europe, we are able to reduce the CO₂ footprint significantly.

Responsible Sourcing of Minerals

The production of precursor cathode active materials (PCAM) and cathode active materials (CAM) involves various mineral raw materials such as cobalt, lithium, nickel, aluminum, and manganese.

Sourcing mineral raw materials responsibly is the expectation and a guiding principle of BASF. When sourcing minerals, companies may face challenges in the areas of environment, health and safety, and human rights, e.g. if cobalt is extracted through artisanal mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

BASF is committed to foster a responsible and sustainable global supply chain of raw materials, including cobalt.

To effectively respond to risks related to sourcing of minerals, BASF has adopted a specific due diligence approach that complements our general corporate sustainability in procurement management system.

Besides, BASF actively engages in industry and multi-stakeholder initiatives that promote the development of a responsible Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) standard.
BASF Catalysts | Battery Materials

Due diligence process and risk assessment tools
BASF Catalysts | ESG

BASF operates a globally applied corporate due diligence management process to identify and manage sustainability risks in its supply chains. An important corporate target is to cover 90% of our relevant procurement spending with sustainability evaluations by 2025 and improve sustainability performance of 80% of our evaluated suppliers.

Sustainability evaluations are carried out based on our Supplier Code of Conduct and the quality assured third party evaluation tools of the supply chain initiative “Together for Sustainability” (TfS). TfS is a joint initiative and global network of 26 chemical companies. The TfS framework – TfS Assessments and TfS Audits – allows TfS member companies to assess the environmental, labor and human rights, ethical and sustainable procurement performance of their suppliers and drive and deliver measurable improvements of their suppliers’ as well as their own sustainability performance.

The TfS audit can be enhanced by a specific module for the evaluation of mines (eTfS). The scope of the mining module is comparable to the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) mining standard. Through globally and anonymously operating compliance hotlines, concerns can be raised and addressed through a strict management and verification process. BASF’s own due diligence management and compliance hotline are also subject to annual third party audit verification.

Our engagement in industry and multi-industry initiatives

Understanding the challenges and risks for the industry, we aim to achieve more meaningful impacts in terms of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. BASF participates in multi-stakeholder and industry initiatives to reinforce our own efforts through collaborative approaches such as Global Battery Alliance and a joint ASM Pilot Mine Project with BMW, Samsung SDI and Samsung Electronics, etc. In these initiatives BASF is an active founding member.
BASF Catalysts | Industry Engagement

Guardrails and chain of custody for mineral sourcing

In addition to our corporate commitment and due diligence management approach, specific guardrails apply when it comes to mineral sourcing for our PCAM and CAM businesses.

Global Battery Alliance (GBA)

BASF is actively involved in the Global Battery Alliance (GBA), which it co-founded in 2017. The GBA has been incubated by the World Economic Forum and since 2021 is an independent organization administratively managed by the Responsible Business Alliance. The GBA follows a multi-stakeholder approach and counts civil society, governments as well as companies among its members. With now more than 100 members, the GBA aims to promote dialogue between the various stakeholders and to develop standards and tools to make the battery value chain socially responsible, environmentally and economically sustainable, and innovative.

For more information about the GBA, visit www.globalbattery.org.

Pilot Mine Project “Cobalt for Development”
BASF Catalysts | Colbalt for Development

BMW together with Samsung SDI, Samsung Electronics and BASF launched a three-year Pilot Mine Project “Cobalt for Development” in DRC for Responsible Artisanal Cobalt Mining with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), IMPACT and Good Shepherd as implementing partners. IMPACT is an international non-governmental organization that specializes in improving natural resource governance, and Good Shepherd International Foundation / Bon Pasteur is an organization with longstanding community development experience in the area.

The project aims at developing best practices that can then be scaled up by further mining projects. This project also contributes to the goals of global initiatives, such as the Global Battery Alliance (GBA), to foster sustainable supply chains.

One objective of the project is to develop and implement responsible mining practices. In the nearby community, the focus of the project will be to improve access to education for children, as well as trainings on financial literacy and alternative incomes for its residents.

Learn more about BASF’s Cobalt Initiative.

Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)

Under the auspices of the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA), formerly the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), RMI offers companies and their suppliers an independent, third-party audit that determines which smelters and refiners can be verified as having assurance systems in place to manage risks related to gross human rights violations, corruption and conflict. RMI is an important player in standard setting and standard coordination in the area of responsible mineral sourcing related to conflict affected and high-risk areas (CAHRA). In 2017, RMI launched a program on responsible cobalt sourcing. Together with the Chinese Responsible Cobalt Initiative (RCI), RMI developed a Cobalt Refiner Due Diligence Standard. RMI is currently working on the establishment of a standard for responsible ASM. BASF joined the RMI in December 2019.

Recycling and Circular Economy

For BASF, circular economy is much more than waste management. A smart circular economy concept should integrate product design, development, production processes, use and re-use systems and materials right from the beginning. Our aim is to close loops and use products and resources in the best way possible across the entire value chain.

The combination of battery materials production and recycling closes the production loop and therefore enables a circular economy. To drive electrification, BASF provides solutions for high energy density cathode active materials and high efficiency metal extraction for battery recycling. Together with its partners along the battery value chain, BASF fosters the production and use of responsibly produced recycled raw materials in the battery market.

The lifecycle of battery materials

We contribute to "close the loop" with lithium-ion battery recycling to the automotive industry globally by developing and implementing circular solutions for the materials we source.

Click here to more about our process and how we contribute throughout the battery value chain.

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