BASF Coatings launches a new digital solution to calculate the CO2 footprint of its product portfolio

BASF Coatings has introduced a new digital system for calculating the carbon footprint (PCF) of its sales portfolio. The solution replaces an internally built application that BASF Coatings has been using for several years to offer consistent CO2 data to clients worldwide.

The organisation now has an agile, real-time, auditable, and internationally relevant CO2 data platform for 120,000 sales goods. Product-related greenhouse gas emissions, including raw material acquisition, transportation, and energy consumption, are calculated consistently and with system assistance. This lays the groundwork for verifiable CO2 accounting, especially for complicated items like paints with multiple colour options. CO2 data helps customers make informed decisions and achieve their sustainability goals.

"For our clients, climate protection is becoming increasingly crucial. Dr. Markus Piepenbrink, Head of Global Sustainability at BASF Coatings, explains that using our tools, we can supply them with credible data and, from there, solutions. "Today, for example, we already offer customers the possibility to reduce the CO2 footprint of selected products through the use of alternative raw materials and renewable energy."

The new PCF tool's key feature is the integration of CO2 data for over 25,000 globally sourced raw materials. Furthermore, the tool takes into consideration the unique energy flows from more than 30 BASF Coatings manufacturing facilities worldwide. This allows for the accurate capture of emissions, even for product variations. A significant feature is the incorporation of additional effect categories beyond CO2, which provides additional vital data for the development of tailored solutions to improve customer sustainability. The global implementation of the new system at all BASF Coatings production facilities was done step by step and in close collaboration with system supplier SAP. As the first and largest provider of surface solutions, the company is now adopting SAP Sustainability Footprint Management (SFM).

"By introducing SFM, we bring together sustainability and digitisation to create reliable transparency for us and our customers," explains Maximilian Bauer, Technical Project Manager Global Sustainability at BASF Coatings.

GLASS Tool enhances CO2 evaluation with a process perspective

In addition to the product accounting solution, BASF Coatings uses the GLASS (Global Life Cycle Assessment of Automotive Surface Solutions) tool for OEMs and the EcoImpact Assessment tool for bodyshops to provide value-added services to its customers. These tools offer a modular and holistic perspective of the painting process, allowing companies to optimise processes using data-driven techniques. This allows us to collaborate with clients to discover possibilities for improvement throughout the application chain, optimising efficiency, quality, and sustainability, as well as decreasing emissions beyond the BASF Coatings product itself. The GLASS Tool stands out on the market for its unique combination of life-cycle analysis, sector-specific expertise, extensive information, and digital application.

Climate protection is a strategic goal

The utilisation of digital tools such as the new PCF calculation solution and the GLASS Tool is a component of BASF Coatings' overall sustainability strategy. The corporation intends to lower its own CO2 footprint by 40% by 2030, compared to the 2018 baseline. BASF Coatings achieves this by leveraging measures across the whole value chain, including sustainable raw material sourcing and transportation solutions, as well as the utilisation of renewable energy and recycled (ChemCycling®) feedstocks.

Source: PUdaily