RESOURCE USE New report says BASF creates the most sustainable value

Abstract

BASF and Air Liquide are the chemical industry leaders in creating sustainable value, and Dow Chemical comes in last, a new study finds. The results of the study were compiled by academics at Queen’s University Management School, in Belfast; France’s Euromed Management school, in Marseille; and the Institute for Future Studies & Technology Assessment, in Berlin. BASF provided financial support for the project. The study took data for AkzoNobel, Air Liquide, BASF, Bayer, Dow, DSM, DuPont, Reliance Industries, and Shell Chemicals in 13 sustainability-related categories such as R&D spending, number of employees, worker accidents, and greenhouse gas emissions. The researchers determined how much of a company’s net operating cash flow is generated by one unit of each category. They measured the result against the weighted average for the entire group. The team of researchers then averaged the differences for all 13 categories to come up with a bottom-line figure dubbed “sustainable value,” which reflects broad...