BASF, the world's chemical giant

Creating value in the field of chemistry with the slogan "We create chemistry for a sustainable future", the company provides raw materials and produces innovative solutions for its customers operating in a wide range from paint to automotive, plastic to textile, medical to the food industry.

Founded in 1865 near the Rhine in the city of Ludwigshafen, the chemical company BASF (short for Badische Anilin- & Soda-Fabrik)'s portfolio includes chemicals, paints, oil and gas, performance products and agricultural products, as well as food and plastics.

It is quite difficult to look at chemistry, which permeates almost every aspect of our lives, from a single window; Everything we touch, from the UV filter in our sunscreen to the sponge in the sofa we sit on, from the shampoo we use to the packages of the food we consume, has a close or distant relationship with chemistry.

When viewed from such a broad perspective, it becomes even more difficult to evaluate the history of chemistry. But let's take a look at where chemistry has come from in the last 160 years in the light of BASF data...

BASF's portfolio includes six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF announced a turnover of 78.6 billion euros in 2021.

Although it is hard to believe, coal, which we cannot show as an energy source today, was the main raw material of the chemical industry in the early 1900s. However, it was clear from those days that the parameters in the science of chemistry would change very rapidly. BASF, which established the first laboratory in the history of chemistry for the testing of materials in 1912, established the first ammonia synthesis facility in 1913 and the first R&D unit to carry out agricultural studies in 1914.

In 1918, when World War I ended, German paint manufacturers lost their leading positions in the world. After a few years of economic depression brought on by the lost war and BASF trying to protect its workforce from the effects of devaluation, gasoline was produced from coal in 1927.

The harsh winters of 1928-1929 led BASF to develop the first antifreeze for automobiles. By the 1930s, many new inventions were developed until then, and the company, which patented them, also increased the number of production lines. Synthetic rubber production started in 1936.

In summary, it would not be wrong to say that between 1925 and 1944, coal was hydrogenated to obtain synthetic fuel and synthetic rubber. In 1951, Styropor, one of the important materials developed by BASF, was first produced. BASF, which entered the US market in 1960 and has production lines in many parts of the world, started magnetic tape production in 1966.

BASF Group's sales amounted to €78.6 billion in 2021, 33 percent higher than in the previous year. EBITDA before special items of €11.3 billion in 2021 was higher by €3.9 billion and EBITDA of €11.4 billion exceeded the prior-year figure by €4.9 billion.

Having put into operation its wastewater treatment plant in 1974, BASF also signaled significant investments to be made in the field of sustainability in the future with this initiative. Having become an active player in almost every field of chemistry through acquisitions and mergers as of 1990, BASF completely removed coal from its production line by selling the coal mine it has been using since 1907. Over the years, BASF has consolidated its leading position in the chemical industry, especially with its adoption of sustainability as an integral part of its corporate identity and its success in integrating it into all work-production processes.

The company, which shared its first carbon emission report with the public in 2008, aimed to increase energy efficiency by 35 percent by 2020 and to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions per ton of products sold by 40 percent compared to 2002. Reducing air pollutants by 70 percent compared to 2002 and reducing the amount of drinking water used for production by 50 percent compared to 2010 were among the sustainability goals that the company sought to achieve by 2020. In its Verbund facilities, BASF produces extra energy by using gas and steam turbine technology as part of the combined heat and electricity system, thus providing fuel efficiency up to 90 percent.

THE FUTURE OF BASF

It is estimated that more than 70 percent of the world's population will live in cities by 2050. The rapid growth of cities is expected to increase the problems experienced in issues such as drinking water, waste management, traffic and housing. Increasing energy demand in the same direction is another global problem. In order to solve the problem, it is necessary to produce low-cost energy from clean and renewable sources such as wind and sun, to increase energy efficiency, and more importantly, to raise the awareness level of societies on these issues. The threat of depletion of healthy food sources is also among the critical problems of the next 10 years. Pollution of clean water resources, health problems caused by deficient and wrong nutrition, excessive amount of waste food and failure to implement effective policies to increase agricultural productivity are among the global food problems. Considering the global population growth forecasts, it does not need to be a genius to predict that as the world turns, we will encounter new problems related to food, shelter, energy and city life. However, it is a fact that nowadays we have fewer reasons to think that any problem is unsolvable. While technology, whose speed we have difficulty in following, turns into innovation, it manages to come out of every problem with a clear mind, as if saying "What is impossible?"

A journalist visiting the BASF factory in Germany expresses his "admiration"

"When you say BASF, don't think of an ordinary factory or production facility. BASF is the size of a city you know. The area it covers is exactly 10 square kilometers. It is the world's largest integrated chemical facility with 200 factories and 39,000 employees. All factories are connected to each other by pipelines, train tracks, streets and streets. It has a huge harbor on the river next to it. Hundreds of vehicles, ships and trains are buzzing around the facility. They take the oil, turn it into naphtha (a mixture of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons obtained by the distillation of crude oil) into thousands of products. They produce granules of thousands of products, from roofing material to shoe soles, from flavors to absorbent sponges. The product that comes out of that factory turns into another product here, and the waste that comes out of the other turns into a completely different product in another."

BASF's revenue from 2000 to 2021

https://www.statista.com/statistics/263355/revenue-of-basf-since-1999/