LANXESS Product Sustainability Monitor: Advancing a Sustainable Chemical Portfolio

LANXESS, a global specialty chemicals company, has developed a comprehensive Product Sustainability Monitor to continually enhance the environmental and social performance of its diverse product portfolio. Focused on corporate responsibility and sustainable innovation, LANXESS employs a structured, three-element approach to product sustainability:

Three-Element Approach to Product Sustainability

1. Safe and Sustainable Products: Ensuring all products meet stringent safety and sustainability standards beyond regulatory compliance.
2. Climate-Neutral and Circular Products: Developing and providing products that reduce carbon footprints and support circular economy principles.
3. Positive Environmental Benefits: Evaluating and promoting products based on their entire lifecycle benefits and their facilitation of sustainable solutions.

Rigorous Evaluation and Management System

LANXESS utilizes a specialized management tool and evaluation system to assess risks and improvement opportunities across its full product range. This fact-based, measurable analysis incorporates environmental, social, and economic criteria, reviewed annually by an internal expert committee. This process highlights products aligning with global sustainability challenges and exceeding regulatory requirements such as EU REACH.

Commitment to Regulatory Compliance and Critical Substance Elimination

• LANXESS complies fully with global chemical regulations, including EU REACH.
• The company does not produce or market new products containing substances of very high concern (SVHC) above 0.1% concentration.
• In 2023, less than 11% of total sales involved products containing SVHCs above this threshold.
• LANXESS actively substitutes critical substances with safer alternatives and phases out hazardous components.

Examples of Sustainable Product Innovations

• Adipic Acid with Low Carbon Footprint: Featuring a nitrous oxide reduction plant, LANXESS’s adipic acid reduces its product carbon footprint by 95% compared to competitors. Nitrous oxide (N₂O) is a potent greenhouse gas with 300 times the global warming potential of CO₂.
• Emerald Innovation™ 3000: A sustainable flame retardant designated for extruded and expanded polystyrene insulation, designed to replace traditionally critical flame retardants with a safer alternative.

Strategic Focus on Sustainability

LANXESS is strategically shifting its portfolio towards products that deliver social, environmental, and economic benefits. Its innovations prioritize safer, non-toxic ingredients contributing to carbon neutrality and a circular economy.

For a detailed overview, LANXESS offers a downloadable Background Paper outlining its Product Portfolio Sustainability performance and continuous improvement strategies.

Source: LANXESS Corporate Website – Product Sustainability Monitor section (2024)

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