Product Assessment Based on Sustainability Criteria

When assessing the sustainability of our products, we take account of economic, environmental and social aspects throughout the entire product life cycle. The tool we use to evaluate our product portfolio is the WACKER Sustainable Solutions program. We also make use of the WACKER ECOWHEEL^® and perform life cycle assessments. These enable us to track the progress of a product from its manufacture through to when it leaves the factory gate.

• We use the WACKER ECOWHEEL^® to identify key sustainability topics at a qualitative level and, together with our stakeholders, set priorities for research projects. Our evaluations factor in a product’s material, water and energy consumption, as well as its ecotoxicity, over the entire life cycle.
• In the WACKER Sustainable Solutions program, we assess the sustainability aspects of our product portfolio in line with the standards set by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). We study the life cycles of products and their usage under specific regional requirements. PARCs – Product-Application-Region Combinations – form the basis for the evaluation. We examine toxicological classification, regulatory and social criteria, controversial industries and raw materials, as well as sustainability-related aspects across the entire product life cycle. Every assessed PARC unit is assigned to one of five sustainability categories.

Our target is for 100 percent of our products to fulfill defined sustainability criteria by 2030. In the reporting period, WACKER earned 94 percent of its sales with sustainable products. For the majority of the remaining products we have defined measures to either improve sustainability performance or replace the product.

• Our life cycle assessments (LCAs) quantify the environmental impact of our products from their manufacture through to the moment they leave the factory gate. Such analyses allow us to evaluate the sustainability of our products and production processes, and to improve them accordingly. When preparing an LCA, we take account of all relevant, potentially harmful effects on soil, air and water, as well as all material flows associated with the system in question. That includes raw-material consumption and emissions from supply and disposal processes, from power generation and from transport.