BASF wins award for best sustainability report 

BASF received an award for the best German sustainability report in 2008. The award, which was made at the annual conference of the German government’s Council for Sustainable Development, is bestowed every two years by the German Institute for Ecological Economy Research (IÖW) and future e.V., an environmental initiative founded by a group of small and medium-sized German enterprises. The German labor minister, Dr. Franz Josef Jung, and the Chairman of the Sustainability Council, Dr Volker Hauff, act as patrons for the award.

The ranking assesses the transparency, completeness and thus the reliability of the information published by Germany’s 150 largest companies on sustainability issues such as environmental protection and employer responsibility. In addition, specific criteria for various industries are used to ensure comparability across industrial sectors.

According to the jury, BASF’s report was particularly convincing because of its structured treatment of the topics product safety, climate protection and responsibility in the supply chain. The company’s integrated approach was also praised: Since 2007, BASF has combined financial and sustainability reporting in a single publication.

“BASF is the first company to submit an integrated report to the ranking,” said Jana Gebauer, project leader at the IÖW. “This shows that sustainability topics can be treated in appropriate scope and depth even if they are integrated in a corporate report. BASF has succeeded in creating added value with the combined form.”

Sustainability is a key element of BASF’s strategy, and the company won third place in the 2007 IÖW ranking. ”Sustainability is not a fair-weather topic at BASF. It is something that is increasingly being integrated into our management systems. Through sustainability, we minimize risk and differentiate ourselves from our competitors. This approach is also reflected in our integrated report ,” said Dr. Ulrich von Deessen, head of the Competence Center Environment, Health & Safety and Climate Protection Officer at BASF. ”Our report is the result of great team work, and we’re therefore very happy to receive recognition in the form of this respected award.”

BASF has published a completely integrated report since 2007. The company presented its first environmental report in 1988 and first issued a corporate report combining economic, environmental and social data in 2003.

More information:

BASF and Sustainability

BASF Report