FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Our specific focus areas include CO₂ reduction and circularity, biodiversity, water conservation and waste reduction as well as social responsibility. We are committed to ensuring customer centricity in our roadmaps and target-setting, positioning ourselves as a reliable partner in driving successful sustainability transformations.

We fight climate change within our company-wide commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). This means

• reduce our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by at least 25%, and our Scope 3 emissions by 11% by 2030 (compared to 2021).
• source 100% renewable grid electricity (excluding Taoyuan; low carbon means renewable and nuclear).
• be carbon neutral for all scopes by 2050.
• Reduce the volume of specific production waste relative to production volume by 10% by 2030 (compared to 2021).
• reduce the specific freshwater withdrawal by 3 percent relative to production volume by 2030 (compared to 2021).
• drive circularity with the goal of using circular raw materials, both recycled and biobased. 

Our products and solutions enable our customers to smarten up their value chain and profit from leveraging effects – in terms of performance, effectiveness, sustainability and real value.

We offer best in class Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) for our customers. The data is provided via direct customer contact. If you do not have direct business with us, please feel free to contact us.

This page explains how we measure and evaluate environmental impacts of our products and services: Evonik’s sustainability analyses

Transparency is at the core of our sustainability commitments. Our LCA process is TÜV certified and complies with ISO 14040/44/67 and TfS guidelines. We provide detailed information about our methodology, data analysis, and independent verification at Evonik’s sustainability analyses.

We know the drivers along the value chain and work systematically on all of them. This starts with our Scope 3 upstream emissions with a dedicated supplier engagement program.

We are also working on our Scope 1 and 2 emissions. Our energy management includes certification, targets for energy efficiency and implementation of renewable energies. The core elements of our strategy are increasing the energy efficiency of our processes and electrification. 

Energy is a powerful lever for reducing emissions. Our goal is to switch completely to energy from renewable sources by 2030. We are already very close to this goal, with more than 90 percent of our energy coming from renewable sources.

We promote circularity on two levels — by reducing the footprint of our processes and by maximizing the handprint of our products. Our goal is to establish circular raw materials and to enable the reuse of our unavoidable production waste, for example through partnerships with other industries. In addition, our products contribute to a circular economy by extending the lifetime of the products in which they are used.

We are aware of our responsibility. Responsible sourcing is a core element for successful and sustainable raw materials procurement. Protecting human rights, supporting fair and safe working practices, and acting socially responsible is crucial for our activities. Therefore, we have established various processes and active measures.
Read more about Evonik’s guidelines for sustainable procurement

We are aware that water is a precious source. Therefore, we save water wherever possible and work on reducing our emissions to water. The Smart Effects business line contributes to Evonik’s water management activities. Evonik uses the WWF Water Risk Filter to analyze various physical risks such as water availability, droughts, flooding, and water quality.

Our corporate aim is to reduce specific freshwater withdrawal by 3 percent relative to production volume between 2021 and 2030. We intend to contribute to improving water use both in our own operations and along the upstream and downstream value chain, including by reducing water consumption in water stress areas. To achieve this, we are working on ways to optimize the reuse, recovery, reduction, and treatment of the water used in our operations. In addition, we evaluated the water consumption of our raw materials based on life cycle assessment data and identified water-intensive raw materials.

Safety matters. To us and to you. Why Evonik is convinced that synthetic amorphous silica is safe to use: Find concise information, FAQ and scientific studies about this naturally derived substance: Silica is safe

We continuously monitor our product portfolio and working conditions. All occupational health protection and health promotion measures at Evonik are based on our global health program. This covers the three dimensions: medical emergency management, workplace health protection/occupational health, and workplace health promotion with their main drivers and objectives.

Read more about Evonik’s occupational health program

Evonik’s sustainability handprint analysis is closely based on the principles and content of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Portfolio Sustainability Assessments (PSA). This methodology describes the signal categories of specific relevance for the chemical industry:

• Chemical hazard and exposure across the life cycle (SC 1)
• Global regulatory trends (SC 2)
• Sustainability ambitions in the value chain (SC 3)
• Authoritative ecolabels (SC 4)
• Sustainability performance compared to alternative solutions (SC 5)

We at Evonik Smart Effects follow this approach to determine the sustainability performance of our portfolio.

The life cycle assessments (LCA) of our products are based on ISO 14040 and 14044. In 2024, TÜV Rheinland Energy & Environment GmbH, (TREE) verified and approved of the methodology practiced by Evonik´s LCM team in conducting Cradle-to-gate product LCAs.

Rating agency EcoVadis has awarded Evonik a platinum rating for its achievements in sustainability in 2024.