How BASF is promoting greener construction products

At the International BouwBeurs, a trade fair for the construction industry taking place this week in Utrecht (the Netherlands), Dutch manufacturer of sandwich panels Falk Bouwsystemen B.V. introduced a new, continuously produced sandwich element called FIBON Falk made from raw materials from BASF derived using the mass balance approach. This approach was developed by BASF to promote sustainable production throughout the value chain, and works along the same general principle as green electricity.

The basic idea involves using renewable resources, such as biogas or bio-naphtha, together with fossil resources in production. The bio share is then arithmetically assigned to certain products using a method certified by the TÜV SÜD technical control board. The share can range from 25 to 100 percent, depending on customer wishes. And with product properties identical to those of the fossil equivalent. “There are no differences in quality or properties. The chemical components derived from renewable and fossil resources are indistinguishable. This means that the construction elements containing our Elastopir systems always meet the same superlative standards,” says Roel Gunnink, Segment Manager Commercial, BASF Performance Materials.

Peter Hoekman, Managing Director at Falk, is convinced of the benefits of the innovative method: “I’m delighted that we have succeeded in cooperation with BASF in developing a new product that makes a real contribution to greater sustainability. We therefore show that we’re taking the subject seriously and are able to offer our customers modern, efficient products.”

Yet the use of a mass balance approach is not entirely uncontroversial: detractors argue that assigning a bio share to a product arithmetically is not a guarantee that the product in question in fact contains that percentage of renewably sourced feedstock. Others advocate requiring a certain minimum percentage of biobased content before a product can be labelled biobased. Proponents argue that the method, while not perfect, should be seen as a ‘stepping stone’ to the biobased economy.

Be that as it may, it is undeniable that, today, sustainable action is increasingly becoming a competitive factor that can tip the balance in a purchase decision. And for BASF, the mass balance approach offers flexibility and a way to help fulfil customers’ sustainability ambitions

“Each purchase of biomass-balanced products drives the substitution of the relevant quantities of fossil resources with their renewable equivalents at BASF,” explains Jesper Bjerregaard, Head of Marketing at BASF Performance Materials. Ecological responsibility, the conservation of fossil resources, and cutting greenhouse gas emissions go hand in glove with commercial success. (KL)


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