Strategy at Each Business Division
(ESRS 2.42 a, b, c)
At Silicones and Polymers, our two chemical divisions, sales are set to grow. At the same time, profitability is to rise. To intensify growth in specialties, we are expanding capacity in the local regions and markets where our customers do business. In doing so, we focus on sustainable solutions. On the one hand, we are developing products that enable our customers to implement more sustainable technologies. At the same time, we are working on improving the sustainability of our own products.
The Silicones division continues to systematically pursue its specialty chemicals strategy, focusing on high-margin growth markets. This approach centers on strengthening customer proximity in the regions with the help of technical services and local development of customized customer solutions. With the construction of a new production site at Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic, WACKER is strengthening its strategic focus on silicone specialties in Europe. The growth priority is tomorrow’s markets, such as electromobility and renewable energy generation, where silicones are essential. Another point of focus is developing sustainable products through carbon-footprint reduction, for instance, or the use of renewable raw materials.
At Polymers, we are supporting future market growth worldwide. Polymers’ focus is on tomorrow’s sustainable construction market, where its products are making a significant contribution. To this end, WACKER is investing, for example, in expanding capacity for vinyl acetate-ethylene (VAE) dispersions at Calvert City, USA. The portfolio for sustainable product solutions, including those based on renewable raw materials, is being continuously expanded. The same applies to customer-specific solutions.
The Biosolutions division is set to continue growing too, with the business focusing on biopharmaceuticals. Thanks to our technologies, we are well placed in the contract manufacturing of pharmaceutical proteins, messenger RNA, plasmid DNA, live microbial products (LMPs) and vaccines based on bacteria. The division’s second pillar is fermentation-based manufacturing of high-quality ingredients for various end markets, such as nutritional supplements, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. In 2025, we opened the WACKER Biotechnology Center in Munich, with which the Group intends to further strengthen its research activities in biotechnology. We expect the additional research capacity to strengthen the division’s growth.
The Polysilicon division intends to continue strengthening its position in the semiconductor industry, in particular, over the next few years. The share of hyperpure semiconductor-grade polysilicon in the division’s total output will continue to rise. In 2025, WACKER invested in a new cleaning line at Burghausen intended to increase cleaning capacity for hyperpure semiconductor-grade polysilicon by more than 50 percent. Polysilicon’s products address the markets of tomorrow that are key to sustainable transformation. At the same time, the division is continuously improving its own products’ sustainability.