BASF has launched paper coating dispersions produced at its Ludwigshafen Verbund site with product carbon footprints approximately 20% to 45% lower than corresponding conventional binders, aiming to support customers’ emissions reduction targets.
The reduced Product Carbon Footprint (rPCF) portfolio is intended for the paper and board industry. According to BASF, the dispersions can help customers reduce emissions associated with purchased goods and services under Scope 3.1, while retaining the manufacturing process.
The company uses raw materials with lower product carbon footprints, electricity from renewable sources and steam with a lower carbon footprint to produce the dispersions.
Production follows a mass balance approach. A specified share of conventional raw materials or utilities is replaced by alternatives with reduced carbon footprints. That share is then allocated to the rPCF products, reducing their calculated footprints. BASF said the unchanged manufacturing process allows customers to adopt the dispersions as drop-in replacements without requiring requalification.
“We are launching our new rPCF portfolio to address our customers’ need for practical solutions for emission reduction,” said Prof. Dr. Thomas Schiele, Vice President Business Management Adhesives, Fiber Bonding, Printing, Paper & Packaging.
The company calculates product carbon footprints according to guidance from the Together for Sustainability initiative. TÜV Rheinland has certified that BASF’s calculation methodology conforms to this standard. The reported reductions refer to cradle-to-gate emissions, rather than emissions across the products’ entire life cycle. BASF assesses each reduction individually against the corresponding conventional BASF product, using applicable calculation methodologies.
The supplied announcement does not specify a launch date. It identifies Ludwigshafen as the production location and describes the portfolio as available, with carbon reductions dependent on the product assessed and the corresponding conventional binder used for comparison.