137
Good Practice
CSR Management
Global Compact International Yearbook 2013
Innovative product developments and
strategic sustainability tools are tangible
measures with which BASF emphasizes
its corporate mission: “We create chem-
istry for a sustainable future.” One ex-
ample is SET – applied sustainability™,
which is a customer-oriented sustain-
ability strategy that helps improving sus-
tainability along the entire value chain.
BASF’s division Nutrition & Health de-
velops, produces, and markets a compre-
hensive range of products and services
for human and animal nutrition, as well
as the pharmaceutical, flavor, and fra-
grance industries. The division strives
to contribute to a better quality of life
by improving the nutrition, health, and
well-being of people across the world. A
balance between economic, ecological,
and social needs is a prerequisite to suc-
cessfully finding the best solutions for a
sustainable future. The SET team works
together with and for BASF customers and
other stakeholders to achieve this balance.
Understanding and activating
value chains
Consumers and retailers are increasingly
looking for products that contribute to
a more sustainable lifestyle. SET – ap-
plied sustainability™ helps foodstuffs
producers measure the sustainability
of their products and identifies specific
potential for improvements along the
entire value chain: from the use of raw
materials through to production and
all the way to consumption by the end-
consumer and finally disposal.
As “The Chemical Company,” BASF pos-
sesses an extraordinarily wide range of
expertise in different industries. Thus,
customers in the foodstuffs industry
benefit from close collaboration among
BASF’s agricultural experts, feed and food
ingredient specialists, packaging experts,
as well as from BASF’s comprehensive
view on sustainability challenges along
the entire value chain. Well-integrated in
its different stages, BASF can activate the
value chain for sustainable development.
This widespread network also lets BASF
maintain a clear understanding of what
moves the market. BASF is a founding
member and board member of The Sus-
tainability Consortium (TSC), an independ-
ent network that also includes leading and
globally active wholesale corporations and
consumer goods manufacturers. “We’re
active in the TSC in order to understand
consumer expectations from the point
of view of retailers and of our customers.
This lets us anticipate market demands
and find innovative solutions,” explains
Kristina Gräper, head of SET – applied
sustainability™, BASF Nutrition & Health.
SET – applied sustainability™ is distin-
guished from many sustainability ini-
tiatives by its direct relationship to the
product. SET – applied sustainability™
applies comprehensive sustainability
analyses and strategies to actual customer
products, making sustainability tangible
and measurable. Whether it is orange
juice, headache pills, fragrances, or beef –
every product can be continuously made
more sustainably, regardless of whether it
is produced in a conventional manner or
under the provisions of an organic “Bio”
standard. SET – applied sustainability™
takes products “on a journey” to higher
sustainability. “The proof of improved
sustainability creates additional value
for the consumer, the producer, and his
brand,” explains Gräper.
Award-winning sustainability
strategy
A specific example of applied sustainabil-
ity is the CO
2
balance calculated together
withmeat product marketer Westfleisch
for the complete pork, beef, and veal
production chains. Headquartered in
Germany, Westfleisch is one of Europe’s
largest marketers of meat products.
The SET team, led at the European level
by Dr. Christoph Günther, investigated
the amount of greenhouse gas (CO
2
e)
generated along the entire value creation
chain. Knowing how much greenhouse
Rewarded for their long-term sustain-
ability strategy: Dr. Helfried Giesen,
Spokesman of the Westfleisch
Executive Board (left), and Jörg Bartel,
head of the company’s Central Quality
Management unit.