BASF Vietnam: 30 years of driving sustainable growth through innovation and partnership

Erick Contreras, managing director of BASF Vietnam

Congratulations on BASF's impressive journey throughout three decades in Vietnam. Looking back, as the ‘captain’ of BASF in Vietnam, what has satisfied you the most and why?

Thank you! Over the past 30 years, we have helped customers across most of Vietnam’s major industries become more successful while growing our business, nurturing a passionate and capable team, and contributing to the country’s sustainable development.

Looking back at our milestones, I feel an immense sense of pride. We began our journey in Vietnam in 1994 by establishing the BASF Singapore representative office in Ho Chi Minh City, followed by a branch office in Hanoi in 1996. This move was inspired by Vietnam's growing economic potential. In 2009, we solidified our presence by incorporating BASF Vietnam and acquiring strategic businesses, a significant step in our commitment to the country’s development, particularly during its first phase of economic reform and integration.

In the 2010s, we expanded our operations with major developments such as the opening of the Polyurethane Technical Service Lab in 2014 and the AgSolutions Farm in Tien Giang province in 2018, which provide essential support to key industries like footwear and agriculture. During this period, we also kicked off several social engagement programmes, including BASF Kids’ Lab, BASF Virtual Lab, school renovation, and playground building, which have benefitted over 40,000 children nationwide.

Since 2020, we have been implementing our Sustainability Roadmap in Vietnam, focusing on CO₂ reduction and circularity programmes. This aligns with BASF’s sustainability targets and Vietnam's goals of achieving net zero by 2050. We've hosted Sustainability Days to encourage dialogues across the value chain and have actively participated in business associations like EuroCham, German Business Association, and Vietnam Business Forum to advocate for sustainable technologies, best practices, and green growth policies in the country.

Despite market volatility in recent years, we’ve stayed close to our customers to understand their challenges and offer innovative products and sustainable solutions to meet their evolving needs and stringent sustainability demands, while achieving their business goals. For instance, our engineering plastic, Ultramid®, can replace 15 steel parts in cars, reducing weight by 30% and lowering fuel consumption, which helps reduce carbon emissions and reliance on fossil resources.

We have also conducted several trials for low carbon and bio-mass balanced products for customers exporting to the EU or other developed countries. Lastly, I’m incredibly proud of our investment in developing our people. By providing our employees with technical and digital skills through mentoring, training, and internal opportunities, we’ve empowered them to drive positive change and deliver greater value to our customers.

In recent statements, BASF has consistently highlighted its investment in sustainability in Vietnam. Can you share your upcoming plans?

We remain committed to continuing our robust growth trajectory and reinforcing our role as a sustainable and innovative market leader in Vietnam for many more decades - alongside our customers, partners, and communities – with a focus on innovations, impactful partnerships, and meaningful dialogue to meet market, social, and sustainability demands.

Firstly, we prioritise understanding our customers better and offering timely solutions that address their needs. We’re investing in sustainable innovations across various industries, including agriculture, footwear, textiles, and e-mobility, helping our customers succeed locally and in export markets. We have started to offer low product carbon footprint (PCF) and bio-mass balanced (BMB) product alternatives to several customers who are exporting their products to the EU and other developed markets. We’re also embracing digitalisation with tools like a new SAP system, AI, and e-commerce platforms.

Secondly, we’re continuing to invest in our people by offering opportunities for growth through training, mentoring, and cross-functional projects. Our new LEED-certified workspace at Deutsches Haus reflects our commitment not just to sustainability but also to employee wellbeing, creativity, and collaboration. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive work environment while attracting new talents from key industries and universities.

Last but not least, our focus remains on long-term educational development. Through programmes like BASF Kids’ Lab, BASF Virtual Lab, school renovations, and playground building, we aim to contribute to the future success of Vietnam’s next generations with our team and key customers and partners.

One of BASF Vietnam’s important footprints outside business is your work with other partners to host community programmes, including building schools, hosting BASF Kids’ Lab, and many more. Why does BASF focus on this? What message do you want to convey through these initiatives?

As a global leader in the chemical industry, BASF recognises that investing in the next generation is crucial to our long-term success in Vietnam. The country has a deep-rooted tradition of valuing education. There has been significant progress in the education sector; however, challenges remain, such as inadequate educational infrastructure in remote areas like the Mekong Delta and a lack of public play areas in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, which limit children’s learning and development.

BASF supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal of providing quality education. We believe that every child deserves the best start in life. Therefore, we are dedicated to making a positive impact by offering safer and more comfortable learning facilities through our school renovation projects. In addition, we create interactive learning while playing opportunities through our playground-building initiative and by igniting their passion for science with fun-filled programmes like the BASF Kids' Lab and BASF Virtual Lab.

As we celebrate 30 years in Vietnam, we continue to drive these long-term programmes in partnership with our key customers and business partners. Together, we drive innovation and sustainability at every step, contributing to Vietnam’s sustainable development and inspiring future generations to become catalysts of positive change.

As BASF celebrates 30 years in Vietnam, it continues to drive long-term programmes in partnership with key customers and business partners

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