News Releases

Ludwigshafen, Germany, 17 June 2025. As the world’s leading trade fair for plastics and rubber returns to Düsseldorf this October 8^th to 15^th, BASF is again on board – just as it has been since the very first K-Fair in 1952.

BASF Coatings and Toyota Motor Europe have signed an agreement to develop the Toyota Body&Paint program for Europe, building the foundation for a long-term strategic collaboration between the two companies for Toyota and Lexus brands. The partnership takes advantage of the premium automotive refinish solutions under the Glasurit and R-M brands in the European market. The Toyota Body&Paint program will be designed using a comprehensive set of BASF’s Body Shop BOOST consultancy services and giving access to the cloud-based digital color, business and training solutions platform Refinity^®. With the collaboration, BASF is supporting its partner Toyota reaching its individual sustainability targets, while ensuring the highest quality standards in paint-work repairs for Toyota premium vehicles.

BASF has successfully started the commercial operation of its Black Mass plant in Schwarzheide, Germany. This state-of-the-art facility represents a significant milestone for BASF’s battery recycling business. It is one of the biggest commercial Black Mass plants in Europe, with an annual processing capacity of up to 15,000 tons of end-of-life lithium-ion batteries and production scrap. This equals roughly 40,000 electric vehicle batteries per year.

BASF is now complementing its polyphthalamide (PPA) portfolio by Ultramid^® Advanced N3U42G6, a polyamide 9T with non-halogenated flame-retardant, which minimizes electro-corrosion of metal contacts in electric and electronics (E&E) parts for e-mobility. The PPA increases the safety and durability of high-voltage (HV) connectors in e.g. inverters, DC-DC converters and batteries of electric cars. Due to its high strength and stiffness over a broad temperature range, its outstanding chemical resistance and dimensional stability, the Ultramid^® Advanced N grade enhances the robustness and reliability of thin-walled HV connectors meeting growing industry needs for halide-free E&E components used in warm and humid conditions. The new Ultramid^® Advanced N3U42G6 is available in uncolored with UL-certified masterbatches but also as pre-colored version with high color stability for easy processing and excellent color retention after heat ageing.

BASF Coatings introduces an innovative Eco Impact Assessment tool under its Refinity brand, a digital business management platform designed to empower automotive refinish partners and customers. The new tool enables body shops to measure performance across ecological, economic, and social aspects. It provides holistic assessments of all relevant material flows in a body shop, including spraying and drying processes, product usage, waste management and fleet operations. The Eco Impact Assessment tool uses reliable data and real-life measurements from the body shops, helping them increase their profitability and improve their ecological footprint at the same time.