New system solutions to help lower emission and reduce energy use
€7 million investment in upgrading production facility
BASF at All China Leather Exhibition 2015: Hall E3 booth D17, Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China from August 31 – September 2, 2015

Shanghai, China – July 21, 2015 – BASF will present a series of solutions for the leather industry that are enabled by chemistry at the All China Leather Exhibition 2015 (“ACLE”) from August 31 to September 2, 2015 in Shanghai, China. At the show, the company will exhibit concrete solutions including products to lower carbon and toxicity footprint, as well as reduce water and energy usage of tanneries.

“Innovative chemistry is the key enabler to produce high performance leather in a more economical and sustainable way,” emphasized Alex Wartini, Vice President, Leather Chemicals, BASF. “Experts in our global research & development center in Shanghai together with our teams all over the world are committed to innovating and offering solutions for tanneries in all steps of leather manufacturing.”

At ACLE, BASF will demonstrate its beamhouse system, DryFast, which combines the advantages of a range of products with a solution that significantly reduces water, energy and process time for the tanneries. In an efficient combination of optimized process steps, effluents contain fewer chemicals and several washing steps can be avoided.

In addition, BASF will showcase a new generation of topcoat system for automotive finishing which offers up to 20% higher durability compared to the industry benchmark and meets the most stringent requirements from original equipment manufacturers in terms of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and consumer safety. Another new introduction is the 3S (superior, secure, simple) surface coating system for corrected grain leather which sets a benchmark in fastness standards, while at the same time, significantly reducing product complexity and ensuring that the finishing production is simple and convenient to use.

Heritage of innovation, investing in the future
This year BASF is celebrating its 150th anniversary. Innovation has been the force guiding the company’s history since its foundation in 1865. This is true also in the leather business. “We developed the first synthetic tanning agent in 1912, the first non-benzidine dyestuff, and drove the development of polymer retanning from the beginning – solutions that helped shape the course of development within the leather industry,” said Wartini.

Investment is another integral part of the company’s strategy. BASF is also investing in the future by upgrading its plants. BASF has recently invested €7 million in a new integrated control system for its Tamol plant in Ludwigshafen, Germany. With this investment, BASF aims to increase process automation which leads to better quality and reliability of this key Verbund production cluster.

About BASF Leather Chemicals
BASF Leather Chemicals business is a leading global supplier of chemical solutions to the leather industry. Present along the entire industry value chain, it offers innovative and sustainable solutions for all wet-end to finishing processes in the leather industry. Headquartered in Singapore, the business operates sales, production plants and research & development globally. Further information on its products and services is available at www.basf.com/leather

About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry – and have been doing so for 150 years. Our portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. As the world’s leading chemical company, we combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Through science and innovation, we enable our customers in nearly every industry to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring nutrition and improving quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF had sales of over €74 billion in 2014 and around 113,000 employees as of the end of the year. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.