BASF
Climate warning
Climate warning
Marine Stephan
65 w
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BASF quietly lobbies against strong climate policy
Do you agree?
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Pinned by Marine Stephan
@BASF Thank you for your answer to my question. I am however wondering something: what about the trade and business organizations that you are a part of? Let me explain. Companies frequently “get their industry associations to do the dirty work,” as InfluenceMap spokesperson Simon Cullen puts it. BASF belongs to the BDI, Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council), and VCI (Verband der Chemischen Industrie). BDI, for instance, opposes the 2035 zero-emissions vehicle standard proposed by the European Commission. Source: "Industry association BDI said the compromise was "a highly problematic decision"" https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/eu-ministers-reach-agreement-climate-bills-zero-emission-cars-2035 BDI is also lobbying the German federal government, in light of Russian gas shortages, to extend the use of coal and to facilitate a transition from gas back to oil. Source: BDiÍ calls Germany's decision to reactivate coal power plants “better late than never” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/08/germany-reactivate-coal-power-plants-russia-curbs-gas-flow Likewise, VCI is pushing for the EU to water down its taxonomy of sustainable finance to include economic activity involving gas. "The relative anonymity of industry associations makes it much easier for them [BASF] to push for policies that reflect their own vested interests.", as stated in this article: https://www.corporateknights.com/category-climate/the-climate-blockers-basf-quietly-lobbies-against-strong-climate-policy-while-talking-a-big-game/ So my new questions are: you are part of these organizations, give power to them, and have an executive role in some of them. How do you ensure that they don't lobby against climate actions (which they actually do)? Do you have an internal policy that states that you should not be part of any business and trade organizations that go against more ambitious climate actions (like the Exponential Roadmap Initiative recommends)? If not, how do you justify your saying "Paris goals are also our goals, we lobby for them – not against them!"? Also, could you comment on this: "BASF’s generally positive position on the energy transition contradicts that of its subsidiary Wintershall Dea, which advocates for a continued role for fossil gas in the energy mix."? How can you advocate for climate actions when you are partly (at 67%) the owner of Wintershall Dea, an oil and gas producer? Thank you for taking the time to answer me.
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Pinned by We Don't Have Time
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62 w
@marine_stephan Paris goals are also our goals, we lobby for them – not against them! And we lobby for the best possible means to achieve climate protection. Constructive criticism of policy and regulation is legitimate and does not mean we are against climate protection. We participate in the political debate in search of solutions that combine social responsibility, environmental protection, and economic feasibility. This requires cooperation between companies, policymakers, and society. It also involves open but critical dialogue to contribute to finding the best solutions for extremely complex problems. For BASF, constructive and above all fact-based criticism regarding policy and regulatory decisions which are under discussion is an important element of this dialogue.
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63 w
I have been denouncing greenwashing since 1998!
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65 w
We are sorry to hear that there are views that regard our activities so critically. We believe that actions speak louder than words. Since 1990, BASF has roughly halved its carbon emissions while simultaneously doubling sales volumes. We now want to reduce our absolute CO2 emissions by 25 percent by 2030 compared with 2018 and strive to achieve net zero emissions at BASF by 2050. Our transformation roadmap from targets to delivery include the switch to renewable energy and the development of own, new technologies, and we advocate to make this happen. You can find out more at https://basf.com/climate_protection.
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@BASF Hello, thank you for your answer. I read about your emission reductions, and this is great. But I am wondering something. The article and report I mentioned talk about the "lobbying" aspect, stating/showing that BASF lobbies to undermine climate-related regulations. What do you have to say about this? What actions are you implementing regarding lobbying? To quote InfluenceMap: "BASF is actively and strategically engaged with climate change policy in Europe, taking negative positions on several key policies such as the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). BASF’s generally positive position on the energy transition contradicts that of its subsidiary Wintershall Dea, which advocates for a continued role for fossil gas in the energy mix." Sources: https://lobbymap.org/company/BASF-9c2526b336864ffb52b43107fe4296b5/projectlink/BASF-In-Climate-Change https://influencemap.org/report/Corporate-Climate-Policy-Footprint-2022-20196
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62 w
@marine_stephan Paris goals are also our goals, we lobby for them – not against them! And we lobby for the best possible means to achieve climate protection. Constructive criticism of policy and regulation is legitimate and does not mean we are against climate protection. We participate in the political debate in search of solutions that combine social responsibility, environmental protection, and economic feasibility. This requires cooperation between companies, policymakers, and society. It also involves open but critical dialogue to contribute to finding the best solutions for extremely complex problems. For BASF, constructive and above all fact-based criticism regarding policy and regulatory decisions which are under discussion is an important element of this dialogue.
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62 w
@BASF Thank you for your answer to my question. I am however wondering something: what about the trade and business organizations that you are a part of? Let me explain. Companies frequently “get their industry associations to do the dirty work,” as InfluenceMap spokesperson Simon Cullen puts it. BASF belongs to the BDI, Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council), and VCI (Verband der Chemischen Industrie). BDI, for instance, opposes the 2035 zero-emissions vehicle standard proposed by the European Commission. Source: "Industry association BDI said the compromise was "a highly problematic decision"" https://www.cleanenergywire.org/news/eu-ministers-reach-agreement-climate-bills-zero-emission-cars-2035 BDI is also lobbying the German federal government, in light of Russian gas shortages, to extend the use of coal and to facilitate a transition from gas back to oil. Source: BDiÍ calls Germany's decision to reactivate coal power plants “better late than never” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/08/germany-reactivate-coal-power-plants-russia-curbs-gas-flow Likewise, VCI is pushing for the EU to water down its taxonomy of sustainable finance to include economic activity involving gas. "The relative anonymity of industry associations makes it much easier for them [BASF] to push for policies that reflect their own vested interests.", as stated in this article: https://www.corporateknights.com/category-climate/the-climate-blockers-basf-quietly-lobbies-against-strong-climate-policy-while-talking-a-big-game/ So my new questions are: you are part of these organizations, give power to them, and have an executive role in some of them. How do you ensure that they don't lobby against climate actions (which they actually do)? Do you have an internal policy that states that you should not be part of any business and trade organizations that go against more ambitious climate actions (like the Exponential Roadmap Initiative recommends)? If not, how do you justify your saying "Paris goals are also our goals, we lobby for them – not against them!"? Also, could you comment on this: "BASF’s generally positive position on the energy transition contradicts that of its subsidiary Wintershall Dea, which advocates for a continued role for fossil gas in the energy mix."? How can you advocate for climate actions when you are partly (at 67%) the owner of Wintershall Dea, an oil and gas producer? Thank you for taking the time to answer me.
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64 w
@BASF, Thank you for joining the dialogue, and for explaining your emissions reduction targets, but it feels like you are avoiding the question, which was about negative lobbying.
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63 w
@BASF I feel these targets to be a liitle dissappointing, from a business advantage standpoint, as well as from an asset risk protection. The transition represents massive opportunities in a multi trillion dollar market BASF is already positioned for leadership. Yet these targets appear well short of even Paris goals, which objectively inadequate to what the current situation with regard to the climate outcomes which are worse by far than the popular consensus at the time.
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63 w
@BASF BASF calculates CO2 footprint for all sales product is a good start
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62 w
@BASF why did you not answer the criticism about your fossil fuel lobbying? I would really want to read tour answer around that subject.
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65 w
We must hold corporations accountable for the promises they make and ensure that they are taking real steps to reduce their negative impacts on the environment.
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65 w
So sad to see BASF using millions to ask for exemptions.
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65 w
Dear Marine Stephan Thank you for getting your climate warning to level 2! We have reached out to BASF and asked for a response. I will keep you updated on any progress! /Adam We Don't Have Time
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65 w
shame on them, every company must live by their word
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65 w
We troll and call them off for their hypocrisy.
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65 w
Its very important to report every organization that's purporting to be fighting climate change but in reality they are not. Their pledges are misleading.
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