BASF Coatings – Driving Surface Solutions

BASF Coatings has launched a new digital solution to calculate the carbon footprint (Product Carbon Footprint, PCF) of its sales portfolio. The solution replaces an internally developed application that BASF Coatings has used for several years to provide reliable CO₂ data to customers worldwide. The company now has an agile, real-time, auditable, and globally applicable CO₂ data basis for 120,000 sales products.

In 2025, the global automotive color landscape reflects a clear shift toward individuality and nature-inspired aesthetics as consumers continue to move away from traditional favorites, as analyzed by BASF Coatings in the latest Color Report for Automotive OEM Coatings. Green emerges as the strongest growing chromatic signal worldwide, continuing its steady rise and making it into the Top 3 led by blue and red. Once dominant, both colors decline year after year. 

BASF Coatings has been awarded with the Green Impact Pioneer Award at the European Chamber’s 12th corporate social responsibility (CSR) Awards held in Nanjing, China. The ceremony highlighted the unwavering corporate social responsibility across the European business community in China and honors excellence in sustainability across multiple categories. The jury honored BASF Coatings’ CathoGuard^® 800RE cathodic electrodeposition coating (e-coat) for delivering measurable environmental and operational benefits in automotive coatings. 

With a new laboratory at its site in Wuerzburg, Germany, BASF Coatings reinforces its position as a pioneer in digitalization, occupational safety, efficiency, and sustainability. The innovative “Lean Lab” concept focuses on developing and producing waterborne basecoats for customers in the European automotive industry.  

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) set a global plan for peace and prosperity. They were adopted ten years ago, in September 2015, at the UN World Summit. BASF Coatings supports selected SDGs through its own priorities and concrete measures. 

Chemetall, a leading provider of innovative surface treatment solutions and the global surface treatment business unit of BASF Coatings, has signed a strategic partnership with Londian Wason (Shenzhen) Holdings Group Co., Ltd. (Londian Wason), a global leader in the new energy and electronic materials sector and one of the largest producers of lithium battery copper foil.

BASF’s Coatings division has been honored with the prestigious MATERIALICA Design + Technology Award 2025 in the category Material for its trend color REVERENCE DARKNESS. This award, presented annually at the eMove360° trade fair in Munich, celebrates groundbreaking innovations that unite aesthetics, technological progress, and sustainability. 

BASF Coatings has announced an expanded collaboration with Xiaomi, supporting the automaker’s plan to co-develop 100 car paint colors over the next three years. The initiative aims to drive innovation and personalization in automotive color design, redefining the visual language of smart mobility.  As Xiaomi’s coatings partner since 2023, BASF Coatings plays a pivotal role in this project. 

Designers from BASF Coatings have unveiled the 2025-2026 edition of the Automotive Color Trends collection. Titled DRIVING THE PROXY, the new collection explores how creative inspiration and influences can come from various sources, and serve as “proxies” or representatives to dynamically shape design decisions in the automotive industry. Sustainability and innovation remain central to the collection, with some colors incorporating renewable or recycled raw materials, while innovations such as multi-color pigments and liquid metal-like surfaces add visual sophistication.

Chemetall introduces the first chromium-free and fluoride-free passivation technology for copper foils, Gardolene D. This solution is unique in the industry and offers superior corrosion protection as well as improved performance of copper foils used in electric vehicle battery packs, energy generation and storage systems. The new Gardolene D technology sets a new benchmark for sustainability and performance while also offering long-term regulatory compliance in copper foil treatment for the battery manufacturing market.

The Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF Coatings, operating under the Chemetall brand, has again received the highest recognition of Airbus’ Supply Chain & Quality Improvement Program, known as the SQIP Award, for its outstanding high level of delivery performance and quality. This year's award ceremony took place at the Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse, France, and honored the best suppliers for their performance in 2024. 

EUROCORR 2025, the leading international conference for corrosion science and technology, takes place from September 7-11 in Stavanger, Norway. Experts from around the world work together to discover how to better protect components from corrosion. Effective protection extends the durability of components and significantly reduces the need for raw materials as well as emissions of greenhouse gases.

The Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF’s Coatings division, operating under the Chemetall brand, has been selected to supply innovative PET recycling washing solutions for Circular Plastics Company’s new plastic recycling plant in Vung Tau, Vietnam. Chemetall will provide a range of novel technologies tailored for Circular Plastics Company’s facilities, which recycle post-consumer PET plastics into food-grade products in Myanmar and Vietnam.

BASF Coatings, in collaboration with Renault Group and Dürr, had redefined the future of automotive manufacturing with the Overspray-Free Application (OFLA) process (also known as Jetprint at Renault). The trio was awarded the “Trophée de l’Industrie s’engage 2025” in the Innovative Process category at the “L’industrie s’engage par l’Usine Nouvelle” event in June 2025. The award recognizes the Overspray-Free Application process – a breakthrough in sustainable application technology that redefines how two-tone vehicle painting is performed.

Zhejiang Chemetall Surface Treatment Materials Co., Ltd, the Pinghu site of the Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF's Coatings division, has been recognized for its commitment to sustainability by the Economic Development and Ecological Environment Bureau in Pinghu, China. This site was commended for its pioneering efforts in achieving 100% renewable electricity coverage, serving as a reference for green and low-carbon transformation to other chemical firms in the industrial district.

Glasurit has been approved for use throughout the Mercedes-Benz authorized repair network in China (Mainland and Taiwan), Australia, Malaysia, South Korea and Thailand, reinforcing BASF’s role as a Global Trusted Partner, with a refreshed collaboration with Mercedes-Benz in China. The partnership also continues in Japan, where R-M remains a long-standing, trusted brand. In addition, Glasurit has been recognized as a preferred partner in Malaysia and Thailand.

BASF Coatings and Toyota Motor Europe have signed an agreement to develop the Toyota Body&Paint program for Europe, building the foundation for a long-term strategic collaboration between the two companies for Toyota and Lexus brands. The partnership takes advantage of the premium automotive refinish solutions under the Glasurit and R-M brands in the European market.

BASF Coatings introduces an innovative Eco Impact Assessment tool under its Refinity brand. The new tool enables body shops to measure performance across ecological, economic, and social aspects. It provides holistic assessments of all relevant material flows in a body shop, including spraying and drying processes, product usage, waste management and fleet operations.

The Surface Treatment global business unit of BASF’s Coatings division, operating under the Chemetall brand, has made a significant advancement in its sustainability journey by transitioning its Langelsheim production facility in Germany to 100% renewable electricity. The electricity, provided by BASF Renewable Energy, is sourced from a mix of solar and wind power, leading to an estimated reduction of approximately 620 tons of CO₂ emissions in 2025.

BASF Coatings is consistently pursuing its strategic roadmap for sustainable development and is further expanding its business with biomass-balanced products. Following successful launches in Europe and Asia, the first products for the automotive refinish coatings market will now also be introduced in North America this year. These products further contribute to the reduction of CO₂ emissions and circular economy.

The BASF Coatings site in Greenville, Ohio has been named the 2025 Business of the Year by the Darke County Community Improvement Corporation (CIC). The Greenville site was recognized for consistently contributing to the community as an employer of choice, long-term business partner, and supporter of various social and education efforts throughout Darke County, Ohio.

General Motors presented BASF Coatings with a 2024 Supplier of the Year Award at GM’s 33rd annual Supplier of the Year event in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. “Our long-standing partnership with General Motors has been built over years of collaboration, shared values and a steadfast commitment to creating innovative solutions for our valued customer,” said Uta Holzenkamp, president of BASF Coatings.