BASF creates chemistry at Sustainable Brands Conference Company demonstrates how it is driving sustainable solutions for the future FLORHAM PARK, NJ, June 4, 2012 -- As a Platinum Sponsor of the Sustainable Brands Conference in San Diego, BASF Corporation will offer a unique perspective on how connections can create chemistry to spark breakthrough innovations. Volker Schaedler, Vice President of Innovation and Technology for BASF in North America, will share insights on collaboration and leading-edge technology developments in his Opening Plenary presentation titled, “Connections Create Chemistry for a Sustainable Future -- Perspectives and a Challenge from BASF.” “BASF’s focus shifted to integrating its molecules into smart solutions and bigger systems, and that means building partnerships,” said Schaedler. “What does our ‘Creating Chemistry’ strategy mean in this context? That great results depend on ingenuity on both sides of the table.” As a global leader driving sustainable solutions with major brand owners in many market sectors with numerous challenges, BASF is focused on solving some of society’s most pressing needs linked with global megatrends. One example is helping reducing emissions and fuel consumption when two billion cars will be on the road in the year 2030. Schaedler will discuss the partnership between BASF and Daimler that resulted in the development of the “smart forvision” concept car, a showcase for energy efficiency, temperature management and lightweight design. BASF will also address the megatrends at booths 5 and 6 of the Sustainable Brands Conference. For example, BASF will demonstrate how it is working with Cargill to develop healthy canola oil rich in valuable polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids – one solution to helping feed the nine billion people who will occupy the planet by the year 2050. BASF has also created the AgBalance tool which assesses environmental economic and societal elements for agriculture. Visitors to the BASF booths will have the opportunity to create their own chemistry when they participate in the Kids’ Lab experiments that will be demonstrated there. BASF will conduct daily experiments, featuring “Water Loves Chemistry,” “Playful Polymers,” and “Energy Loves Produce.” Kids’ Lab creates fun with chemistry and encourages kids and adults to explore the connections between chemistry and the world around them. Conference participants will have the opportunity to attend the "Creating connections for value chain sustainability" workshop to co-create new ideas for the consumer goods sustainability journey. The workshop will encourage participants to think holistically and broadly, upstream and downstream in their value chains, to determine the most critical sustainability issues and prioritize to get the most out of their efforts, while also emphasizing the value of using common language when discussing sustainability issues. Specific case studies will be shared to demonstrate examples of this in action when it comes to feeding an ever growing world population. Featured speakers will include Charlene Wall-Warren, Sustainability Leader, for BASF in North America; Cristian Barcan, Regional Head of Sustainability, Eco-Efficiency and Traceability (SET) initiative for applied sustainability, BASF Nutrition & Health; Jeff Rice, Director of Sustainability for Wal-Mart; Mike Faupel, Director of Operations, The Sustainability Consortium; and J.O. Reagan, Senior Vice President, National Cattleman's Beef Association. Kids' Lab BASF developed its global Kids’ Lab program to encourage children ages 6-12 to gain a better appreciation of and interest in the dynamic world of chemistry. Kids’ Lab is designed to provide a fun, hands-on learning experience for children, teachers and caregivers. All participants explore chemistry through safe and engaging experiments, coupled with interactive Q&A and demonstrations. They learn how chemistry is all around us and how BASF creates chemistry. In the U.S., Kids’ Lab programs currently run at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ; the Detroit Science Center in MI; the Houston Children’s Museum in Texas; and the Gulf Coast Exploreum in Mobile, AL. Since the North American launch of Kids’ Lab in 2010, nearly 12,000 people have participated in the program. BASF employees also volunteer to bring Kids’ Lab programming to classrooms in their local schools, helping to support and supplement science education curricula and stimulate interest in future science careers. BASF - The Chemical Company BASF Corporation, headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, is the North American affiliate of BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany. BASF has more than 16,000 employees in North America, and had sales of $20 billion in 2011. For more information about BASF’s North American operations, visit www.basf.us. BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics, performance products and crop protection products to oil and gas. We combine economic success, social responsibility and environmental protection. Through science and innovation we enable our customers in almost all industries to meet the current and future needs of society. Our products and system solutions contribute to conserving resources, ensuring healthy food and nutrition and helping to improve the quality of life. We have summed up this contribution in our corporate purpose: We create chemistry for a sustainable future. BASF posted sales of about €73.5 billion in 2011 and had more than 111,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com. For more information contact: Ellen Bravo BASF Corporation Tel: (973) 245-6425 E-mail: [email protected] BASF Corporation 100 Park Avenue Florham Park, New Jersey 07932 http://www.basf.com/usa
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published May 31, 2012 5pm EDT / 2pm PDT / 10pm BST / 11pm CEST