Actions

We report our general actions in relation to our climate change policy as part of our transition plan and as part of the resilience analysis of our material climate risks.

In the year under review, the following key actions were implemented in relation to our climate change policy.

Actions to reduce greenhouse gases

In line with our transition plan, the reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions is based on three key levers.

Green silicon production

Replacing fossil bituminous coal with biogenic reducing agents is one key lever we employ to cut greenhouse gas emissions in silicon production. During the reporting year, various other trials were conducted on the use of biogenic reductants in the production process.

Transforming our production processes

We assess our projects using financial and ecological metrics. This enables carbon-savings projects to be sorted by their avoidance efficiency and to be plotted on a carbon avoidance cost curve. Projects are implemented according to decreasing efficiency and have been covered by our sustainability budget since 2022.

In 2025, the individual projects implemented accounted for an expected aggregate CO₂ saving of more than 30 kt a year. In Burghausen, for example, a project was implemented to thermally couple columns and allow waste heat to be used. The resulting carbon-emission saving is expected to come to around 20 kt/year.

Purchase of renewable energy

Another key lever under our transition plan is the purchase of renewable energy. During the reporting year, our sites in Adrian (USA) and Shijiazhuang (China) transitioned to using electricity from renewable sources.

Our transition plan and implementation of the resulting actions is based on the assumption that resources are available. This includes sufficient availability of electricity and thermal energy from renewable sources at all WACKER sites. Alternative feedstocks with low fossil CO₂e footprints and low-GHG transportation options need to be available, too. To this end, WACKER works with energy and feedstock suppliers as well as logistics partners to secure the future availability of resources.

Energy-efficiency actions

We use our WACKER Operating System (WOS) to manage energy-efficiency actions. Our actions are designed to reduce feedstock consumption and to increase process and energy efficiency at our sites with the aim of further cutting specific operating expenses and GHG emissions.

In 2025, more than 1,100 actions were executed. They focused on increasing productivity and energy-efficiency.

Many of our chemical reactions create heat, which can be used in other production processes. In addition to the recovery of heat from these reactions, we operate integrated heat-recovery systems that we continually enhance. By way of example, we implemented a project that uses waste heat to generate steam in 2025. This reduces standardized energy consumption by around 10,000 MWh a year and reduces the associated carbon emissions by around 4 kt/year.

Execution of our actions derived from WOS is managed by a committee made up of representatives from Corporate Sustainability, Engineering and Controlling on the basis of the carbon and energy avoidance cost logic.

Actions for our product portfolio

In terms of our business development, we consider ourselves to be well positioned to tackle future developments. We regularly analyze the long-term competitiveness of our products and sites, which includes assessment of customer demands, market conditions, regulatory requirements and technological developments. We strive to work together with our customers to further develop sustainable solutions and find suitable applications for promising fields.