Value Chain Workers Impacted

In 2024, we purchased products and services around the world worth €4.5 billion. These included raw materials such as silicon, methanol, ethylene and acetic acid as well as energy, the construction and maintenance of chemical plants, and IT and logistics services. Our supplier network is made up of some 10,000 suppliers, of which around 600 key suppliers account for just under 80 percent of our procurement volume. Our suppliers are primarily based in Germany, the USA and China.

Based on the findings of supplier audits (sector analyses, surveys, expert opinions), we consider occupational safety to be particularly relevant to workers of our direct suppliers in production operations. We also consider workers of third-party companies, such as cleaning companies, contractors and raw material manufacturers, that collaborate with our suppliers and operate mines or plantations to be particularly affected.

Our customers operate in various industries, including consumer care, textiles, and the automotive, solar and semiconductor sectors. Logistics companies play a major role in the transport of our products and raw materials. We regularly check cooperation with customers in regions susceptible to forced labor.