• New solution developed to clean waste management facilities more efficiently, with less water
• €750,000 project contributes to China’s “Rural Vitalization” plan by improving waste disposal conditions, supporting low-income residents
• Training and donations to increase public awareness on water conservation

Shanghai, China – March 19, 2019 – BASF and its supporting partners have launched a project in rural Guangxi which aims to improve hygiene at sanitation facilities such as trash bins, trash trucks and waste transfer stations. With a newly developed cleaning solution, a training and education program, and a donation to local school, the project combines both business benefit and social benefit in a format known as a “Starting Venture”.

The Starting Venture project, entitled “Better Environment, Better Life”, will be implemented in Du’an Yao Autonomous County, in the region of Guangxi. With a total investment of €750,000, the project will help improve waste disposal conditions and thus support low-income residents, contributing to China’s national strategy of “Rural Vitalization”.

“Through innovations in chemistry and social engagement activities, BASF is committed to helping solve current and future social challenges. This is one of our first Starting Ventures projects in China. It shows how BASF can drive innovation by leveraging our wide product portfolio, combined with social impact and business value,” said Dr. Zheng Daqing, Senior Vice President, Business and Market Development Greater China, BASF.

Local cleaning companies in Du’an Yao Autonomous County were seeking better solutions for the cleaning of facilities where waste was transported and handled. Combining its expertise in intermediates, care chemicals and surface technologies, BASF worked with partners to develop a new formulation. The new cleaning solution is more efficient, with better cleaning performance and at the same time uses less natural resources, particularly water. In addition, it can reduce corrosion of the facilities, and does not negatively affect the environment.

“With BASF’s expertise, the new cleaning solution addresses the challenges faced by sanitation teams in their everyday operations. It further supports the industry’s sustainable innovations, contributing to building a ‘Beautiful China’,” said Wang Minyan, Director of China Cleaning Industry Association.

BASF has also provided technical know-how to Guangxi Zhongtian Shengxiang Urban Investment & Service Company, which has set up a training and education program tailored for local sanitation workers. The ultimate aim is to help the workers better understand science-based procedures for cleaning sanitation facilities.

“With BASF’s expertise and support, our sanitation workers will be able to be more effective. At the same time, the life cycle of the facilities can be prolonged,” said Mr. Lan Xiang, General Manager of Guangxi Zhongtian Shengxiang Urban Investment & Service Company.

BASF also donated hand sanitizers and whole-house water purification systems to the Du’an Yao Autonomous County Senior Middle School. Both based on innovations from BASF chemistry, the donated products link a reliable source of healthy drinking water directly to the school’s approximately 5,600 students and teachers, improving their overall hygiene conditions and improving awareness levels regarding water conservation.

As a founding member of the United Nations Global Compact, BASF concentrates its social engagement activities on measures supporting the UN to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2018, BASF invested a total of €38.4 million (approximately CNY 309 million) supporting social engagement projects worldwide, including not-for-profit activities and business-oriented projects. Through its business-oriented projects, known as “starting ventures”, BASF develops business solutions that empower people with low incomes to achieve a better quality of life with innovative business models and cross-sector partnerships. BASF has already supported 12 starting ventures projects globally.

Please visit here for more about BASF’s starting ventures projects worldwide.

About BASF in Greater China

BASF has been a committed partner to Greater China since 1885. With larger production sites in Shanghai, Nanjing and Chongqing, BASF is a major foreign investor in the country’s chemical industry, and operates the Innovation Campus Shanghai, a global and regional research and development hub. BASF posted sales of over €7.3 billion in 2018 to customers in Greater China, and employed 9,317 people as of the end of that year. For further information, please visit www.basf.com/cn/en.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 122,000 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 six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €63 billion in 2018. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.