BASF promotes sustainability

BASF promotes sustainability

BASF's Coatings division is in discussions with industry partners, including industry associations, insurers, claims controllers, fleet and leasing companies, and body shops, to establish a global certification standard in the automotive refinish industry. This is intended to meet the growing demand for sustainable accident repair solutions. The standard will be based on verifiable criteria and create a uniform benchmark. This gives body shops a guide to act more sustainably and prepare for increasing legal requirements such as CO2 emissions reports. “By using sustainable technologies and materials, companies can save energy and CO2, reduce their own costs and contribute to reducing waste,” says Rahel Reichmann, Head of Sustainability, BASF Global Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions.

The first discussions about the criteria for an industry-wide, independent sustainability standard took place with relevant industry interest groups as early as 2023. The standard is based on a catalog of quantitative and qualitative criteria from the areas of ecology, economics and social issues. These criteria are used to evaluate the sustainability level of the body workshops. Aspects such as reducing CO2 emissions, managing waste and resources efficiently and profitably during the car repair process, and creating economic and social value are considered to ensure that body shops can position themselves for long-term success. BASF has already started testing these criteria with pilot workshops in Germany. In February 2024, relevant industry representatives will meet at TÜV Rheinland in Cologne. The aim is to agree on a common approach for an independent standard across the entire auto repair industry that works for all players.

BASF Coatings will also test the sustainability criteria as part of its digital workshop platform “Body Shop Boost” with customers and partners in the pilot countries of Switzerland and Austria. The pilot is intended to show where body shops currently stand in terms of their level of sustainability and provide insights to further develop and adjust the criteria of the planned sustainability standard. "It is important to us to obtain a meaningful overall picture when selecting the criteria, which is particularly practical for companies. This clear demand comes from the industry - and we hope for other interested partners who want to help shape this task," says Markus Piepenbrink, Global Sustainability at BASF Coatings.