BASF Report 2021 Management’s Report – Water 135 Water bodies as far as possible. Our sites and subsidiaries are responsible We work with numerous partners along the value chain and from GRI 102, 103, 303 for implementing and complying with internal guidelines and legal civil society to protect water as a resource. For instance, BASF is SUPPLIERS BASF CUSTOMERS requirements. The Environmental Protection, Health & Safety unit in a member of the Alliance for Water Stewardship, a global multi- the Corporate Center conducts regular audits to monitor this. stakeholder organization that promotes the responsible use of water. Water is of fundamental importance in chemical production. BASF’s global network of experts shares information, insights and We are co-founders of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW) and It is used as a coolant, solvent and cleaning agent, and to best practices around the responsible use of water on an ongoing are also involved in other global networks such as the World Plastics make our products. Our goods are transported via water- basis. Council or Operation Clean Sweep to effectively reduce and prevent ways. At the same time, water is a scarce commodity in more plastic waste, especially in water bodies. and more regions. That is why we promote the responsible Introducing and implementing sustainable water management use of this resource with sustainable water management. has been a cornerstone of our strategy for many years now. Our We report transparently and comprehensively on water. For instance, focus here is on our Verbund sites and on production sites in water we again provided detailed answers to the 2021 water survey from 1 The aim is to protect water as a resource, to use it as At a glance stress areas. the nonprofit organization CDP. BASF again achieved leadership efficiently as possible through recirculation, and to continuously status with an A– rating in the final assessment. CDP evaluates how 1,695 million 78.5% reduce wastewater and emissions. We consider the quantitative, transparently companies report on their water management activi- Cubic meters of water demand covered qualitative and social aspects of water use. ties and how they reduce risks such as water scarcity. The assess- total water abstraction by reuse ment also considers the extent to which product developments can We pursue our goal by applying the European Water Stewardship also contribute to sustainable water management at the customers ▪ Responsible use a core part of our strategy standard, which rests on four principles: sustainable water abstrac- of the evaluated companies. ▪ Global water target 53.5% achieved tion, maintaining good water quality, preserving conservation areas, For more information on our position paper on water protection, see basf.com/water and ensuring continuous improvement processes. For more information on the CDP water survey, see basf.com/en/cdp ▪ Demand and utilization continuously optimized We advocate the responsible use of water as a resource along the entire value chain. We audit supplier compliance with envi- Strategy ronmental standards in our regular supplier assessments (see page 110). Where improvement is necessary, we support suppliers The responsible use of water as a resource is a core element of our in developing and implementing appropriate measures, such as the Responsible Care Management System and an important part of correct handling of wastewater. In addition, we are involved in a wide our commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development range of initiatives to promote sustainability in the supply chain Goals (SDGs). This is also reflected in our position paper on water (see page 113). For example, efficient water use is a core part of the protection, which we published in 2021. Pragati project to improve sustainability in castor bean farming, the source of the castor oil we use. Our global standards and requirements for water are defined in Group-wide guidelines. Among other things, these stipulate that We offer our customers solutions that help purify water and use water protection concepts must be implemented at all production it more efficiently while minimizing pollution. These include high- sites. The guidelines also cover aspects such as process and performance plastics to produce ultrafiltration membranes, seeds transportation safety (see pages 120 and 125) in order to prevent with higher drought and heat tolerance, or water-saving thin-film production and transportation-related product spillages into water processes for metal pretreatment. 1 We define water stress areas as regions in which more than 40% of available water is used by industry, households and agriculture. Our definition is based on the Water Risk Atlas (Aqueduct 3.0) published by the World Resources Institute. For more information, see wri.org/aqueduct.