ENVIRONMENT

BASF’s sustainability general strategy: Growing demand is putting an increasing strain on our planet. We already consume more than the Earth can regenerate. Sustainability is therefore crucial for our future. We need to balance economic, environmental and social needs to ensure a more sustainable development. Awareness of sustainability is also increasing among our stakeholders. We need to engage in an open dialogue and act together with and for our customers and other stakeholders. We partner to develop more sustainable solutions which meet society’s needs. This is the growth strategy of our company, which is clearly illustrated by our strategy principle “We create sustainable solutions” and our corporate purpose “We create chemistry for a sustainable future”.

Building a sustainable future with chemistry: At BASF, we create more than just chemicals - we create chemistry. For over 50 years, we have worked closely with industry stakeholders to enable successful sustainable construction projects. With BASF chemistry, buildings can be more durable and require fewer resources for maintenance. Chemistry also makes buildings more energy efficient, thus protecting our environment.

Increased efficiency, natural resources management, climate change management: The construction industry consumes about half of the world’s resources. This taxes our environment and contributes to rising construction costs. This is why we are developing increasingly efficient solutions.

Throughout its entire lifecycle we can help you build, repair, and protect your projects using fewer resources and minimize their environmental impact. BASF offers a broad spectrum of solutions that contribute to the efficient management of natural resources and climate change. For example:

• Insulation materials such as Exterior Insulation and Finishing Systems (EIFS) increase heating or cooling efficiency, reduce the use of fossil fuels, and increase design flexibility.
• Thinner, yet better insulation solutions for saving space.
• Phase Change Material (PCM) help reduce heating or cooling cost thanks to its great performance of temperature management.
• Concrete repair material, sealants, wall coatings, and water repellents help with maintenance work and converting existing buildings.
• Concrete admixtures reduce the needed amount of water, or they allow replacing up to 50 percent of the cement clinker with other materials.
• Highly flowable concrete ensures a faster placement process as well as provides higher concrete durability.

Media campaign: BASF Hellas SA has launched a media campaign on buildings’ energy improvement and insulation. Through our participation in conferences, publications in the press and newsletters, combined actions with stakeholders and clients we promote the energy improvement of existing buildings as the only viable solution for natural resources and energy saving. Also, we encourage the application of new technologies and methods for zero energy-consumption buildings construction.

Building protection and energy saving seminar: On 19-20 March 2014, BASF Hellas SA, in cooperation with INZEB (Institute of Zero Energy Building) and Thermoplastiki, organized in Kavala a two-day workshop for engineers, with a view to informing them on new legislations and the properties of new insulation materials. Information and technical advice helps engineers in taking more efficient measures for the protection of buildings and energy saving. The workshop was attended by 120 local engineers, who received the relevant participation certificate.

Presentation of reference buildings: In November 2014, BASF Hellas SA organized a visit to Nikiana, on the island of Lefkada, where the first two low energy consumption buildings were being constructed according to the Greek ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) Betoblock system, using BASF’s innovative insulation material Neopor®. The visitors – civil engineers, energy inspectors and contractors – were shown around the project site and were informed on the latest technology innovation in Greece, the ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) construction system using as raw material BASF’s Neopor®. Neopor® is an expanded polystyrene (EPS) used in the production of insulation materials and systems with a broad spectrum of applications. It offers up to 20% better insulation efficiency compared to the blocks of white expanded polystyrene, thanks to the tiny graphite molecules that reflect thermal radiation, thus reducing heat losses. Therefore, it has a proven high ecological and economical efficiency.