• Communities learn about the critical role of clean, safe drinking water through interactive “Clean Water Class”
• BASF donates terminal water purification system to provide reliable drinking water to 60 NGOs and 60,000 visitors per year

Shanghai, China – January 31, 2018 – BASF and the NPI Foundation today jointly launched the “Clean Water Class” public education program in Shanghai. Around 50 local school students, NGO (non-governmental organization) staff and community members participated in the first of a series of interactive workshops. The program aims to raise public awareness about the importance of clean and safe drinking water, and foster interest in science.

“Through both innovative solutions and social engagement activities, BASF strives to improve the quality of life in the communities where we operate. With community education programs on important topics like water conservation, we hope to increase awareness of more sustainable lifestyles. At the same time, we provide solutions to help address these issues,” said Stephan Kothrade, President & Chairman Greater China, BASF.

As part of BASF’s social engagement initiatives, “Clean Water Class” is an interactive education program designed for all age groups to raise their awareness on the urgency of water conservation. Specialists from BASF and NPI Foundation will help participants learn about the scientific and technical processes behind water purification and water treatment. A series of similar workshops will be rolled out throughout the year.

Along with this education program, BASF has donated seven terminal water purification systems with a value of more than CNY 400,000, powered by the world’s leading ultrafiltration membrane technology, to two shared NGO incubation facilities. The nanopore filters of the patented Multibore® membrane intercept not only particles, but also microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses in water. BASF’s proprietary technology has been applied to many municipal and civil projects.

The donation will not only provide a reliable source of drinking water directly to the staff of the 60 NGOs at the NPI facilities, but will also cater for around 60,000 visitors each year. NPI has been recognized as an incubator for supporting and nurturing startup NGOs and social enterprises in China.

“NPI Foundation is excited about our partnership with BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, to promote public water education. Our common mission is to benefit more members of the community and society via science education activity participation, especially the younger generation who will build our future,” said Li Ding, Executive Director, NPI Foundation.

BASF invested a total of €47 million (approximately CNY 368 million) supporting social engagement projects worldwide in 2016. In Greater China, BASF focuses on supporting educational programs as outlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #4, “Quality Education”. Recently, BASF has also organized public science education programs with Songshuhui-Association of Science Communicators, a leading non-profit science education organization in China. The live science salons attracted over 200 participants and the online discussion on scientific thinking has already generated over 6 million views. BASF Kids’ Lab, the signature annual science education program, has been running in Greater China for 15 consecutive years. About 170,000 children aged from 6 – 12 have participated in this annual program, so far.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 114,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of about €58 billion in 2016. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.

About NPI Foundation

Initiated by Non-Profit Incubator – one of the largest intermediary agency supporting the development of Third Sector in China, NPI Foundation was established to fulfill the mission for advance social innovation and cultivate social entrepreneurship in China since August 2015. NPI Foundation is dedicated to fund raising, advocating for pro-bono services & social impact investing for prominent start-up NGOs and social enterprises etc. On this basis, NPI Foundation will continuously deepen the dialogue and cooperation among donors and supporting organizations to promote the better development of Third Sector in China.

In 2016 and 2017, NPI Foundation supported the serious of activities promoting the best practices of newly established NGOs and prominent social entrepreneurs, general public education program on Social Innovation such as “Infinite Social Innovation Forum”, “STEM Expo”, “Hui Philanthropic Streaming Project”, “Ford Motor Environmental Protection Award”, “Fund raising Assistant for 50 excellent start-up NGO on Tencent 99 Charity Day”, “Ali Volunteer 3 Hours”.