UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

Challenge:

Despite all the progress made in reducing poverty since the turn of the millennium, around 719 million people, or 9.2 percent of the world's population, were still living in extreme poverty in 2020. Extreme poverty means surviving on less than $2.15 a day.
Businesses are a major driver of economic growth and can help reduce poverty by creating jobs or purchasing locally. A positive contribution to this goal is made, for example, by companies that pay attention to compliance with social standards, especially in the economic sectors in which most of the world's poor operate.

Examples of our contribution:

• Attractive, market- and performance-based remuneration is anchored in our human resources instruments worldwide. In addition, collective bargaining and statutory minimum standards, such as the respective local minimum wage, apply. In the future, we also intend to regularly check whether we pay our employees a living wage in all countries.

• We expect our suppliers to "pay remuneration and provide services that at least meet the respective national legal minimum standards or the minimum standards of the respective national economic sectors with regard to an adequate livelihood" (Evonik Code of Conduct for Suppliers). We also check this as part of our membership in "Together for Sustainability", the chemical industry's initiative to promote sustainability in the supply chain.

• We procured 75 percent of our purchasing volume of EUR 11.3 billion in 2023 locally, thus safeguarding value creation, employment and fiscal effects along the value chain. Our Impact Valuation shows that, on average, one job at Evonik secures 11.6 additional jobs worldwide. Every euro of added value at Evonik leads to public revenues of 1.7 euros.

• In addition, we support numerous social and ecological projects at our locations.

Our Goals:

• As part of our strategy for profitable growth, we directly and indirectly create jobs and generate public revenues that countries can use to reduce poverty.

• We want to gain an even deeper understanding of the impact of our business activities. For this reason, we are extending the monetary assessment of the impact of our business activities along the value chain to other regions and indicators.

End hunger, achieve food security and better nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

Challenge:

Malnutrition and hunger prevent sustainable global development. Hungry people are also more likely to suffer from disease and thus cannot support and feed their families. According to Welthungerhilfe, more than 800 million people worldwide suffer from hunger, the vast majority of them in developing countries.
In order to combat hunger worldwide and feed the world's population, which will continue to grow by 2050 – from 8 billion to 9.7 billion people today – a changed, more efficient and more sustainable management of the available resources on land, in the seas and rivers is necessary, in addition to the eradication of poverty.

Examples of our contribution:

AMINO ACIDS    

Amino acids from Evonik enable greater efficiency and sustainability in animal nutrition and thus in food production for humans: methionine, for example, promotes healthy growth, especially in pigs and poultry.

• Website Methionine®

OMEGA-3 FATTY ACID PRODUCTS

Evonik and Royal DSM operate the joint venture "Veramaris", which produces omega-3 fatty acid products from natural seaweed for aquaculture, thus countering the overfishing of the world's oceans.

• Website Veramaris®

PRECISION LIFESTOCK FARMING

Evonik Precision Livestock Farming optimizes every stage of livestock farming – animal nutrition, animal health, and husbandry – while reducing the ecological footprint.

• Website Optimize Animal Farming

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

Challenge:

Living in good health and promoting well-being for all people of all ages is important for building prosperous societies. However, despite great progress in improving people's health and well-being in recent years, inequalities in access to healthcare persist.
Companies can help by respecting and promoting the health and well-being of their own employees, and by driving medical technology progress globally through products and solutions.

Examples of our contribution:

• We are a strategic partner of companies that manufacture pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements or medical devices. Evonik supports them with customized products, technologies, and services – for both conventional and new therapeutic areas.

• At Evonik, work, plant, and transport safety consistently take precedence over sales and profits. This holistic approach encompasses employees, work situation, products, operational environment as well as the handling and use of materials.

• The continuous improvement of health protection for our employees is part of our responsible actions and our commitment to responsible care. This includes medical emergency management in the company, occupational medicine and occupational health protection, workplace health promotion and the support of our employees in personal emergency situations. Health protection and promotion are components of the Group's "well@work" initiative.

• We measure progress in the field of occupational health using the Occupational Health Performance Index (OHPI), which is calculated from two parameters each of the areas of "occupational medicine", "health promotion" and "emergency medical care". This index is also used for continuous improvement.

Our Goals:

Occupational Health Performance-Index ≥ 5,0

• Target achieved: In 2023 the OHPI was 5,5

Accident frequency ≤ 0.26 Lost shift accidents per 200,000 hours worked

• Target achieved: In 2023, the accident frequency was 0.21

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Challenge:

Quality education is one of the most important keys to breaking the vicious cycle of poverty. Education helps to eliminate inequalities and create gender equality. At the same time, quality education supports the achievement of the other SDGs.
The respective state is responsible for the implementation of the human right to education. Companies can support the state in this, for example by enabling vocational education and training and developing teaching materials to attract well-trained junior staff.

Examples of our contribution:

• Evonik trained more than 1,660 young people in Germany in 2023. At 6 percent, our training rate was still above the German average of around 4.7 percent.

• The training takes place at 15 locations in 36 recognised professions.

• Evonik relies on well-trained employees as a competitive success factor and has a global learning strategy that is geared to future business requirements. We measure the success of the implementation of our learning strategy by the number of active learners, their average learning time and the total number of registered learners on the LILY and FutureZone learning platforms.

• At the beginning of 2023, Evonik launched the digital learning library LinkedIn Learning with over 20,000 courses in various languages for all employees. The offerings range from business-specific software and project management to career and leadership tips.

• For more than 20 years, the "Start in den Beruf" project has proven its worth in preparing young people for training. In the 2022/2023 project year, we offered 15 additional places, enabling a total of 65 young people who were not yet able to train to participate.

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

Challenge:

Half of the world's population is female, and therefore half of human potential. However, gender inequality prevents the use of this potential and thus also social progress. Discrimination against women often begins with access to the education system and continues in professional life.

Examples of our contribution:

• The proportion of women under the age of 40 in management positions is now just over 37 percent. Overall, the proportion of female employees in management positions rose from 17 percent to just under 30 percent between 2011 and 2023.

• Numerous measures to promote female employees, such as networking events, mentoring and support programs, have been implemented. In addition, we offer our female employees networking events of the Group's internal women's network GroW as well as opportunities for job sharing.

• The STEM career field is the goal of the Asia Pacific region's "Grow beyond yourself" initiative, which was launched in 2023: In China, Japan, and India, Evonik has offered a training program including an innovation competition at schools. The aim is to improve girls' chances in everyday life and to motivate them to pursue STEM careers.

Our goals:

We aim to have 30 percent women in top and middle management by 2026.

• Current status: 22.2 percent (top management) and 18.5 percent (middle management)

The intercultural mix in upper management is expected to reach 25 percent by 2026.

• Current status: 18.4 percent

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

Challenge:

Access to water and sanitation is a human right that has not yet been realized for billions of people. Furthermore, around two billion people worldwide do not have regular access to clean water. About 771 million people do not even have a basic supply of drinking water.

According to a 2021 study by UNICEF, more than 1.42 billion people worldwide live in areas with overall high or extremely high levels of water insecurity, including 450 million children.

48 percent of wastewater flows untreated into rivers and oceans.

Examples of our contribution:

• A good water supply is an extremely important prerequisite for our production. We use water as sparingly as possible and are constantly working to reduce our emissions into water bodies. We use water primarily for cooling purposes, as process water in production and for steam generation in power plants. We therefore regularly analyse the short-, medium- and long-term availability of water at our sites.

• In agriculture, our amino acids in animal nutrition help to reduce water consumption.

• Environmentally friendly detergents, cleaning agents, and disinfectants from Evonik are completely biodegradable and have a very good ecological profile.

• Hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid are playing an increasingly important role in the fight against germs in wastewater as environmentally friendly alternatives. During use, only water and biodegradable acetic acid are produced as by-products.

Our Goal:

In the period from 2021 to 2030, reduce the specific freshwater abstraction in relation to the production volume by 3 percent.

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

Challenge:

Nowadays, the availability of electrical energy is indispensable for almost all areas of daily life. These include, for example, industry, medicine, education, agriculture, infrastructure, communications and high technology. Participation in social life is also becoming increasingly dependent on electricity (smartphone, internet, social media...).

To this day, fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gas are important sources of electricity generation worldwide, but their combustion produces large amounts of greenhouse gases that contribute greatly to global warming and pollution.

Since the Paris Agreement (global climate agreement) at the latest, many countries have been in the process of increasing the share of renewable energies in their electricity mix.

Examples of our contribution:

• Around 35 percent of Evonik's externally purchased electricity worldwide already comes from renewable sources. By 2030, we want to convert our external electricity procurement to 100 percent green electricity.

• In Europe, Asia, North and South America, more than 50 sites currently source or generate sustainable energy. This corresponds to a saving of around 410,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

• At our European sites, we will become much less dependent on fossil fuels in the future. After we were able to conclude a long-term green electricity purchase agreement (PPA2) with EnBW as our partner in 2022 with delivery starting in 2026 from the new 960 megawatt (MW) He Dreiht offshore wind farm to be built, further PPAs followed in December 2023. Starting in 2025, Evonik will purchase the electricity generated from Vattenfall over a ten-year contract period from around 120 MWp3 of installed capacity, which will come from two new photovoltaic sites to be built in Schleswig-Holstein. Furthermore, from 2028, RWE will also supply us with approx. 37.5 GWh of green electricity annually over 10 years from the Kaskasi offshore wind farm, which was commissioned at the beginning of 2023.

• In addition to green electricity, Evonik is also growing in importance of biomethane as a substitute for fossil natural gas. Evonik is already relying entirely on renewable energies for its production in Schörfling am Attersee (Austria). Only green electricity from wind, hydropower or biomass flows into our production facility for the SEPURAN® membranes. Since the beginning of 2022, the site has also covered 100 percent of its gas requirements with biomethane from regional production.

Our Goals:

• Reduce absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 25 percent between 2021 and 2030.
  

• Reduce absolute Scope 3 emissions by 11 percent between 2021 and 2030.

• Achieve total savings of 1,200 GWh of energy from implemented energy efficiency projects by 2030 (reference year 2021).

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.

Challenge:

Paid work is the central driver of material prosperity, economic security, equal opportunities and human development. To this day, however, a majority of employees are excluded from this, because employment does not always guarantee a life without poverty. The eradication of poverty is only possible through permanent and well-paid work. The achievement of this objective is closely linked to other objectives such as education, equality between men and women and equal opportunities.

Examples of our contribution:

Through its activities, Evonik contributes to economic growth and offers secure, decent work. Our impact valuation shows that each Evonik job secures an average of 13.5 jobs worldwide in the value chain.

• Our Code of Conduct summarizes Evonik's most important principles and standards with which all employees must be familiar. It applies throughout the Group and is part of the employment relationship between the employee and Evonik. 

• We have set up our own Code of Conduct for suppliers, which bindingly regulates our requirements for them.

• In the Declaration of Human Rights Principles, Evonik commits itself to respecting human rights and also formulates its expectations of employees, supervisors, suppliers, and other business partners.

• In its Global Social Policy, Evonik formulates the principles of social and ethical responsibility towards its employees.

• As part of our membership of the UN Global Compact, we actively advocate for respecting and promoting human and labour rights within our sphere of influence, avoiding discrimination, protecting people and the environment, and fighting corruption.

• In Germany, 100 percent of our employees and around 70 percent worldwide are covered by collective bargaining agreements on remuneration.

• Safety is an important part of decent work. At Evonik, safety takes precedence over sales and profits. For many years, we have established a safety culture that enables continuous improvement of our processes and systems. In addition, occupational health protection has a high priority.

Our goals:

Proportion of women in top and middle management of 30 percent each by 2026

• Status 2023: 22.2 percent and 18.5 percent respectively

Intercultural mix in top management of 25 percent by 2026

• Status 2023: 18.4 percent

An average digital, self-paced learning time per employee in the LILY and LinkedIn Learning systems of more than three hours per year by 2026

• Status 2023: 3.8 hours

Accident frequency of max. 0.26 per 200,000 working hours 

• Target achieved: 0.21 

Occurrence frequency of max. 0.40 per 200,000 working hours

• Target missed: 0.43

Occupational Health Performance Index of min. 5 

• Target achieved: 5.5

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

Challenge:

Economic growth, social development and adaptation to climate change are largely dependent on infrastructure investments, sustainable industry and technological progress.

Innovations play a crucial role in Evonik's consistent focus on sustainability and profitable growth. At the same time, we support our customers in achieving their own goals in terms of climate protection, circularity or biodiversity.

Examples of our contribution:

Research and development (R&D) activities are managed by our Research Development & Innovation (RD&I) function. This includes the R&D teams of the growth divisions, innovation management, Creavis as a business incubator and strategic research unit, and Evonik Venture Capital. It comprises more than 40 locations worldwide with around 2,650 R&D employees. In 2023, R&D expenses amounted to €443 million.

R&D Teams:

The three growth divisions (Nutrition & Care, Smart Materials and Specialty Additives) focus on six innovation growth areas:

• Sustainable Nutrition: Establishment of new products and services for sustainable nutrition for humans and animal husbandry.

• Healthcare Solutions: Development of new materials for implants and as components of cell culture media as well as tailor-made, innovative drug formulations.

• Advanced Food Ingredients: Building a portfolio of health-promoting substances and dietary supplements to contribute to healthy eating.

• Membranes: Extension of SEPURAN® technology for efficient gas separation for further applications.

• Cosmetic Solutions: Development of new nature-based products for cosmetic applications as well as sensory-optimized formulations for skin care products.

• Additive manufacturing: Development and expansion of products and technologies in the field of additive manufacturing

• Learn more

CREAVIS

Creavis serves the Group as an innovation pioneer for resource-saving solutions with a view beyond 2025. In this role, it develops transformative innovations beyond the product and market focus of our operations. Creavis bundles its activities into three incubation clusters:

• The Defossilation Cluster supports industries in becoming less dependent on fossil raw materials. Here, high-growth solutions are developed that help pave the way to a circular and climate-neutral economy.

• The focus of the Life Sciences Cluster is on novel concepts for the resource-saving and sustainable production of food for a growing world population. The prevention and cure of diseases, especially in view of the increasing age of many people, is another focus.

• Solutions Beyond Chemistry promotes traceable, secure and circular value chains based on domain knowledge and data-driven solutions. This increases the transparency, effectiveness and sustainability of industrial systems.

• Learn more

Our Goals:

• More than €1 billion in additional revenue in the six innovation growth areas by 2025.

• More than €350 million in additional revenue from solutions for the plastics cycle from 2030.

• Solutions for approximately 400,000 tons of recyclable plastics by 2025.

• At least €1 billion in additional revenue from circular products and technologies by 2030.

• Recording and evaluation of substances/products in relation to the Chemicals Management System (CMS/CMSPLUS) from acquisitions by the end of 2026.

Reduce inequality within and among countries.

Challenge:

There are still inequalities in every country based on income, gender, age, origin, religion and inequality of opportunity. This applies both within and between states. These inequalities hinder social and economic progress in the long run.

Examples of our contribution:

Under the heading "Equal Opportunities and Diversity," the Evonik Global Social Policy states: "We demand equal opportunities and equal treatment for each of our employees, regardless of ethnic origin, skin color, gender, age, disability, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, social origin, or political opinion..."

In the "Wages and Benefits" section, Evonik is committed to fair wages: "We pay compensation and provide benefits that at least meet the respective minimum legal standards or the minimum standards of the respective national economic sectors with regard to an adequate livelihood."

• If unequal treatment or violations of the principle of equal opportunities occur within the company, every employee can report them via the web-based anonymous whistleblower system.

• Our HR instruments are anchored in a way that is in line with the market and performance. Compensation is based on objective criteria such as responsibility, competencies and success. Personal characteristics such as gender or age do not play a role.

• In order to maintain the accustomed standard of living in old age, Evonik offers various options for company pension schemes, some of which are financed by employers.

• In 2023, the global gender pay gap – i.e. the average basic pay of female employees in relation to the basic pay of male employees – was -6.6 percent. We show the overall difference between the average full-time base pay of all female employees worldwide and that of male employees. In Germany, for example, where about 60 percent of Evonik's workforce is employed, the gender pay gap is -1.7 percent.

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Challenge:

Urbanization is a global phenomenon: while 30 percent of people lived in the world's urban centers in the middle of the 20th century, this figure has now risen to 57 percent, and by 2030 the number of city dwellers is expected to rise to around 60 percent. There are already more than 34 metropolitan regions ("megacities"), each with more than 10 million inhabitants.

Companies have a very important role to play in the design of livable and sustainable cities in order to build energy- and climate-efficient structures that can be used in the long term.

Examples of our contribution:

From roofs to foundations, as well as for the protection of international cultural assets and the urban development of the future: Evonik offers solutions for almost all areas of the construction industry.

As one of the most innovative specialty chemicals companies in the world, we stand out for our creativity, energy and passion for our products and our customers. Whether it's solving our customers' current problems, improving their existing products for the future, or finding new, innovative solutions to difficult challenges. We want to be your partner for specialty chemicals in the construction industry. Let's create a better world together.

Insulating facade elements

• The element of the future with passive house quality thanks to an innovative insulation system based on CALOSTAT®. 

Thermal insulation

• CALOSTAT® as a super insulating material and AEROSIL® as a raw material for insulating materials such as VIP and HTI are high-performance materials in the thermal insulation market segment that enable fire protection and super insulation over a wide temperature range.

Road construction

• Evonik offers a wide range of technologies for the road construction industry. The products VESTENAMER® and TEGO® Addibit offer solutions for today's requirements such as durability, reduction of emissions and energy consumption, thus supporting sustainable road construction and maintenance.

Protection of structures

• The protection of new and renovated concrete surfaces is the key to ensuring protection against environmental influences.

Additives for building materials

• With our advanced construction additives, we provide solutions that increase the performance and value of our customers. Long-term relationships based on trust and personal advice are the basis of our work.

Silex

• The leading technologies for the production of refractory insulating glass are based on glass plates separated by intumescent layers consisting of a highly viscous solution of alkali silicates and suitable organic additives. The key to producing glass using this technology in a simple process is AERODISP® W 1244, a ready-to-use formulation based on proprietary silicate technology.

• Learn more

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.

Challenge:

The steadily growing world population and the associated pressure on natural resources as well as the imminent climate change are increasingly endangering the livelihoods of many people.

Only through the necessary change in our lifestyles and economies can we counteract this. Consumption and production must take place within the planetary ecological boundaries. To achieve this, consumption and production activities must be largely decoupled from resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition to redesigning the value creation patterns that underpin production, this also includes the expansion of a circular economy and sustainable supply chains.

Examples of our contribution:

Next Generation Evonik

• We have comprehensively integrated sustainability into our Group strategy – from research and development to portfolio management and corporate culture. The core process is the sustainability analysis of our businesses. Research and development play a key role in the ongoing portfolio transformation. In 2023, Evonik generated 91 percent of its sales with products and solutions that are at least at market level in terms of their sustainability performance (categories "Leader", "Driver" and "Performer").

Green Energy

• More and more of our sites are relying on renewable energy sources for their supply. In 2022, we purchased more than 40 percent of the electricity used in the Group from renewable sources. In Europe, Asia, North and South America, more than 50 sites currently source or generate sustainable energy. This corresponds to a saving of around 410,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Water

• Evonik uses water as sparingly as possible and is working to further reduce emissions. In the year under review, we set ourselves a new water target: In the period from 2021 to 2030, we want to reduce specific freshwater abstraction in relation to production volume by 3 percent.

Waste management

• Our efforts to further reduce production waste are based on a clear principle: Waste is to be avoided first and foremost through continuous process improvements and the expansion of integrated systems, otherwise it should be recycled or used to generate energy, and only safely disposed of as a third option. Our goal is to reduce the specific amount of production waste in relation to the production volume by 10 percent between 2021 and 2030.

Circular Economy

• Circular economy stands for the decoupling of economic growth and the use of resources by returning valuable raw materials to the cycle after the use phase. In view of the increasing scarcity of raw materials and strained supply chains, better use of resources and circular management are becoming increasingly important to Evonik. With our activities, we counteract the insufficient availability of resources in the supply chain and in our production. In addition, the circular economy opens up new business opportunities and attractive growth opportunities for Evonik.

Together for Sustainability (TfS)

• In 2011, the chemical industry founded the TfS initiative, of which Evonik is one of the six founding members. The aim of TfS is to jointly develop and implement a global assessment and audit programme for the responsible procurement of goods and services. The standardization of global standards in the supply chain creates transparency and makes it easier for suppliers and customers to reliably assess and assess sustainability performance.

Our Goals:

• Expansion of the share of sales with Next Generation Solutions to over 50 percent by 2030

• Reduction of absolute and specific energy consumption by 5 percent each in the period 2020 – 2025.

• Reduction of specific freshwater abstraction by 3 percent in relation to production volume in the period 2021 – 2030.

• Reduction of the specific production waste volume by 10 percent in relation to the production volume in the period 2021 – 2030.

• At least €1 billion in additional revenue from circular products and technologies by 2030

• 100 percent coverage of raw material suppliers with an annual procurement volume > €100 thousand through TfS assessments by the end of 2025.

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.

Challenge: 

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges humanity is facing today. Its connection with the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities has been proven by scientific observations and calculations. Rising average temperatures, higher sea levels, an increase in extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall, droughts or extreme heat are signs of changes in the climate.
In addition to limiting greenhouse gas emissions, we need to adapt to the changes.

With the Paris Climate Agreement in December 2015, the signatory states committed themselves to countering climate change and its associated consequences. The agreement includes a global action plan to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels in order to reduce the risks of climate change. Global greenhouse gas emissions are expected to peak as soon as possible, with less developed countries being given more time and international support for climate adaptation being pledged. 

Examples of our contribution: 

Next Generation Solutions (Handprint)

We already generate 43 percent of our sales with products and solutions that are characterized by a distinctive, positive sustainability profile. By 2030, we want to increase the share of sales generated by these next-generation solutions to over 50 percent.

Next Generation Technologies (Footprint)

Evonik is committed to the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. We underline this with our commitment to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Between 2021 and 2030, we aim to reduce our Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25 percent. We have committed to an 11 percent reduction in our Scope 3 emissions. 

In the year under review, SBTi successfully validated the emission reduction targets submitted by Evonik. SBTi confirmed that the level of ambition of the Scope 1 and Scope 2 targets is suitable for helping to reduce global warming to well below 2°C.

Around 35 percent of Evonik's externally purchased electricity worldwide already comes from renewable sources. The PPAs with EnBW, Vattenfall and RWE increase the share to well over 50 percent. At the same time, these collaborations reduce Scope 2 emissions (electricity from external purchases) by around 150,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year. Our goal is to reduce our Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions from 6.3 million tonnes to 4.7 million tonnes between 2021 and 2030. About a third of this reduction is to be achieved through the use of renewable energy sources.

In addition to green electricity, Evonik is also growing in importance of biomethane as a substitute for fossil natural gas. Evonik is already relying entirely on renewable energies for its production in Schörfling am Attersee (Austria). Only green electricity from wind, hydropower or biomass flows into our production facility for the SEPURAN® membranes. Since the beginning of 2022, the site has also covered 100 percent of its gas requirements with biomethane from regional production. By switching to an environmentally friendly energy supply, Evonik is reducing its direct CO₂ emissions in Upper Austria by around 5,000 metric tons per year. Biomethane has also been used for the production of individual products of the High Performance Polymers Business Line in Germany since 2021, and biomethane has been used to generate steam at the Ham (France) site of the Health Care Business Line since May 2023.

Our Goals:

• Reduce absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 25 percent between 2021 and 2030.

• Reduce absolute Scope 3 emissions by 11 percent between 2021 and 2030.

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

Challenge:

The oceans are home to an extraordinary variety of creatures, ranging from single-celled organisms to blue whales. They are also home to coral reefs, one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Humanity is (over)using the oceans in a variety of ways. The demand for protein-rich and healthy fish products is increasing, but natural stocks are declining. The increasing demand for fish can be met by aquaculture. However, many of these crops are not sustainable due to the use of fishmeal and fish oil, which in turn come from fishing. The consequence is an additional reduction in wild populations. Maintaining healthy oceans supports efforts to mitigate climate change.

Examples of our contribution:

Today, the aquatic animals we consume are mostly bred through food intake. If they are kept in captivity, their feed must have a similar composition, especially in terms of amino acids (methionine) and omega-3 fatty acids. So far, the ideal composition has only been achieved thanks to the addition of fishmeal and fishmeal oil. The most important raw material in fish farming is fishmeal, because it contains high-quality protein for the growth of aquatic animals. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish oil. Due to the depletion of natural resources, the supply is becoming more and more problematic worldwide.

Amino acids and amino acid derivatives, which have been specially developed for fish farming, make it possible to dispense with the use of fishmeal or fish oil to a large extent. A complete renunciation of fish oil is possible with biotechnologically produced omega-3 fatty acids.

With DLMA™ (DL-methionine for aquaculture), Evonik offers methionine products that have been specially developed for fish farming.

Together with our partner DSM, we have founded the joint venture Veramaris to produce biotechnologically produced omega-3 fatty acids. The production is carried out with the help of seaweed. One kilogram of this oil produced in this way replaces up to 60 kilograms of wild-caught oil.

• Learn more

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Challenge:

Forests, mountains, soils, rivers – they are the basis of our lives and a scarce commodity. They provide us with food, clean water, clean air. Humanity should operate in such a way that these vital goods are preserved for future generations.

In 2020, 337 million tons of meat would be produced worldwide. The ECD and FAO forecast global meat production to grow by almost 13% over the ten-year period from 2019 to 2029. In the past decade, the figure was just over 12%. This means more animal husbandry, more fodder, more agricultural land, water and energy consumption. In the long term, therefore, there is no way around agriculture that improves its productivity while reducing land and resource consumption.

Ecosystem services – understood to mean all the effects of ecological systems that benefit humans – can only be provided by nature in the long term if the functioning of ecosystems is maintained. Their ability to function is closely linked to biodiversity. Due to deforestation, resource extraction and climate change, large areas, such as the rainforest in the Amazon region, are threatened in terms of their biodiversity, even their existence.

Examples of our contribution:

Biodiversity:

We are aware that our business involves opportunities and risks related to biodiversity. This includes the loss or preservation of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, including microbial organisms. Disruptions to supply chains and the standstill of our production due to the loss of biodiversity and damaged ecosystems must be avoided. The starting point for our engagement with biodiversity are classic environmental issues – such as emissions into water and air as well as responsible water and waste management.

In our business sustainability analysis, we address the following aspects of biodiversity: water, eutrophication, acidification, land use, use of renewable resources, emissions of critical and persistent chemicals, and microplastics. We bundle our contributions to the conservation of biodiversity in the Sustainability Focus Area (SFA) Safeguard Ecosystems.

Products and solutions from Evonik:

Dwindling biodiversity is having an adverse effect on Evonik's business activities. At the same time, our business activities can have a negative impact on biodiversity. Products and solutions from Evonik also contribute to the preservation of biodiversity and enable the preservation of habitats.

Peracetic acid from Evonik is used as an effective alternative to existing biocides in the disinfection of wastewater: Before treated wastewater is discharged into the environment, pathogenic bacteria are removed in a disinfection process. This step prevents the bacteria from reaching natural bodies of water that people use for recreation or fishing. A major advantage of peracetic acid over chlorine-containing disinfectants is that it decomposes and produces very little to no toxic byproducts.

In the healthcare sector, Evonik offers products that are an alternative to animal-based substances for pharmaceutical applications and thus make a positive contribution to circularity and biodiversity: PhytoChol®, for example, is a plant-based cholesterol. This is an essential component for the production of lipid nanoparticles and an important technology in the field of drug delivery. PhytoSquene® is a squalene made from amaranth oil. In this way, we offer an alternative to the traditional production from shark liver oil and thus contribute to the preservation of biodiversity, as many shark species are currently endangered.

Sustainable palm oil production: Commitment with WWF and Beiersdorf expanded:

The ongoing deforestation to establish new palm oil plantations is a major challenge. In a joint project with WWF Germany and Beiersdorf, we want to support the sustainable development of the Malaysian region of Tabin in Sabah on the island of Borneo. Based on the three pillars of Protect, Produce, Restore, the aim is to promote more sustainable production of palm oil and stop deforestation. By 2026, small farmers and medium-sized producers are to have their palm oil cultivation certified according to RSPO on an area of around 15,000 hectares of land. In addition, a political framework for sustainable agriculture and forestry is to be created. In addition, at least one ecological corridor will be built to enable wildlife to move to other habitats. The project also aims to stabilise the population of endangered and endangered animal species – such as the rare Borneo elephant or orangutan – in Tabin and to protect their habitat.

In addition, since 2022, Evonik has been involved in another WWF and Beiersdorf project in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, also in Borneo. As part of this, 200 independent palm oil farmers with a total area of 300 hectares of land are to be certified according to RSPO. The aim is for smallholder farmers to have direct market access to a palm oil mill by 2026. This is an important building block for Beiersdorf and Evonik, which are committed to sustainability along their entire supply chain of palm (kernel) oil derivatives.

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Challenge:

Peace, justice and sustainability are mutually dependent – without peace and justice, sustainable development cannot take place, without sustainable development there will be no peace and justice. Strong accountable institutions are guarantors of peace and justice. Bribery and corruption not only undermine the rule of law and human rights, they hinder economic growth, prevent investment in education and health, make it harder to create jobs, and ultimately lead to social injustice. Strong institutions are of great importance, especially for companies and their employees. They ensure legal certainty, protect the property of companies and guarantee the rights of employees.

Examples of our contribution:

• Evonik takes its corporate responsibility very seriously and has extensive internal rules and regulations, such as the "Code of Conduct", the "Code of Conduct for Suppliers", the "Global Social Policy", the "Declaration of Human Rights Principles" and "Values for the Environment, Health, Safety and Quality". These Group-wide fundamentals make Evonik a reliable business partner in international trade.

• Evonik is a member of the UN Global Compact and is committed to respecting and supporting the ten principles laid down therein on human rights, labor standards, environmental protection, and anti-corruption.

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development.

Challenge:

In order to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations by 2030, the committed cooperation of all political and social forces is required.

The achievement of the SDGs far exceeds the capabilities of individual actors. As a specialty chemicals company, Evonik is at the center of numerous value chains and thus assumes the role of an "enabler" that enables its customers to develop new products and solutions to achieve their goals. Therefore, we are aware of the special importance and creative potential that lies in strategic partnerships and close cooperation with customers, suppliers, science and industry initiatives.

Examples of our contribution:

• Future-oriented solutions often arise through the interaction of different skills and abilities in dialogue. That's why we, as a company, regularly seek dialogue with our stakeholders in different formats. We want to better understand other perspectives, identify forward-looking trends and developments at an early stage and integrate them into business processes.

• Together with Siemens Energy, we are researching and testing innovative hydrogen technology in an industrial environment at our site in Herne. Green electricity is to be used to produce green hydrogen, which is an important raw material for wind turbine rotor blades.

• We use our cooperation with EnBW to show how we obtain green electricity from wind turbines for our sites and thus at the same time contribute to the expansion of renewable energies.

• We are collaborating with BMW on the Future Sustainable Car Materials consortium project. Together, we have the goal of closing plastic cycles and thus contributing to the circular economy.

• Portfolio transformations for our clients and for us can only succeed on the basis of a cooperative partnership. Together with Beiersdorf and on their way to more sustainable personal care products, we show how we tackle challenges together and develop viable solutions.