Manufacturing Magazine September 2024 | Page 87

BASF ’ s certified compostable plastic ecovio ® can be used throughout the entire food cycle
Back in 1985 the Responsible Care ® initiative was founded – a global , voluntary initiative for the industry to address its environmental and health impacts and responsibilities surrounding risk management and safety .
Today , as public awareness of sustainability and regulations has increased , the initiative runs in 67 countries whose combined chemical industries account for nearly 90 % of global chemical production . Chemical manufacturing is inseparable from modern life , critical to the products , places and infrastructure we rely on every single day .
“ Chemistry is part of almost any physical product you can imagine , from a car to a fridge to a pair of shoes ,” says Matthias Scheibitz , Head of Sustainability Strategy at BASF Performance Materials Division .
“ Since we are in raw material transformation as a chemical industry , we are right at the beginning of the value chain .”
BASF ’ s approach to the value chain embraces the principles of sustainable chemistry during product design , production and disposal . The manufacturer seeks to address two core sustainability challenges :
CO 2 emissions and plastic pollution . The threat of pollution is only growing , with 4 % of all global CO 2 emissions coming from plastic , a statistic set to triple by 2060 . Microplastics are now present in
manufacturingdigital . com 87