A Cleaner, Greener Christmas
with Santa’s Magic Sleigh

For years, Santa has trusted BASF to keep his magic sleigh in top shape, optimizing mobility, durability, and performance for his worldwide journey. After being so impressed with previous upgrades, Santa is back this Christmas with a new request. This year, he’s looking for a sleigh that’s not only efficient but also more sustainable, safer, and tech-forward than ever before. With BASF’s latest innovations —just some examples described below— Santa’s sleigh is now a perfect blend of holiday magic and cutting-edge technology, setting new standards for sustainability and safety on his journey around the globe. Perfectly aligned with BASF’s new Winning Ways Strategy, which aims to position us as the preferred chemical company to drive our customers’ green transformation, Santa’s sleigh is now not just a holiday icon but a shining example of sustainability and innovation —truly embodying BASF Automotive Solutions’ commitment to 'DRIVE FORWARD. TOGETHER.'

A Classic Look with a High-Tech Twist

While Santa’s sleigh maintains its iconic red body, it’s now strengthened with BASF’s advanced coatings that make it more sustainable, functional, and dazzling than ever before. The sleigh’s trim is coated in BASF’s award-winning EFFLORESCENCE, a revolutionary pearl-like white monocoat. Honored with a prestigious Red Dot Award for its innovative design and production process, this coating achieves its unique effect without traditional pigments, using advanced resin bead technology. The underside is coated in HARBINGER’S INK, a deep black with a subtle sparkle that helps the sleigh blend into the starry night sky. This coating is crafted with biodegradable pigments and carbon-negative materials to keep Santa stealthy and sustainable. The runners, critical for smooth rooftop landings, are finished with SCINTILLATION, a warm gray basecoat with a liquid metal effect that reduces wear while guaranteeing a smooth glide. With BASF’s ROUTING color trends leading the way, the sleigh effortlessly blends old-world charm with modern technology, spreading holiday magic with every flight.

A Sleigh that Shimmers with BASF’s ChemCycling® Magic

Of course, with all the Christmas hustle and bustle – and despite never compromising on safety – Santa’s sleigh can sometimes get scratches along the way. But thanks to BASF’s innovative solutions, these minor blemishes can be easily addressed. When you put effort into a new paint job, not only you want it to shine brighter than Rudolph’s nose but also greener when it comes to the Refinish job, and BASF's ChemCycling® technology for premium clearcoats makes sure of exactly that.

By turning recycled materials— like old tires— into Glasurit® Eco Balance clearcoat, the sleigh now sports a premium finish that sparkles like snowflakes under the Northern Lights. This clearcoat is both stunning and a sustainability superstar. Leveraging recycled feedstock and BASF’s innovative mass balance approach, it significantly reduced CO2 emissions while keeping waste out of landfills. The fast-drying formula even cuts energy use, meaning Santa’s elves can keep the gingerbread ovens running without overloading the grid.

As the sleigh soars across the globe, it’s delivering both holiday cheer and setting an example for sustainability. Who knew that yesterday’s treads could turn into tomorrow’s holiday magic?

Powering the Sleigh with Sustainable Battery Innovation

In addition to a sparkling exterior, Santa’s sleigh is now powered by BASF’s sustainable battery materials technology. Thanks to high-performance cathode materials, produced using proprietary energy-efficient methods, and a pioneering closed-loop recycling process, the sleigh operates with a significantly reduced carbon footprint.

Advanced techniques recover critical metals like lithium and cobalt from the sleigh’s used batteries, allowing them to be reused and ensuring that Santa can make his rounds without leaving behind a trace of carbon.

This innovation means that Santa's sleigh is delivering presents around the globe in a way that’s green, clean, and ready for the years to come. The only footprints Santa leaves behind this year? Those in the snow!

A Circular Future with BASF’s PACIFIC App

Even Santa knows that every sleigh has its time to shine, and then its time to retire. That’s why Santa’s team is using BASF’s new PACIFIC app to ensure the sleigh is built for a circular future. With this tool, Santa’s elves can calculate the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) of every solution applied, from the dazzling coatings to the lightweight runners. The app helps Santa keep track of the materials that go into his sleigh.

And since Santa collaborates with artisans and suppliers from around the world, the PCF Data Model confirms everyone’s on the same page when it comes to sourcing and recycling. Developed within the Catena-X Automotive Ecosystem, this forward-thinking app empowers 'Team Santa' to prioritize circular designs and make sure Santa’s sleigh isn’t just for Christmas Eve, but is part of an ongoing cycle of sustainability.

Award-Winning Emissions Technology for Cleaner Journeys

To further reduce his environmental impact, Santa’s sleigh is now equipped with BASF’s Three-Way Conversion Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) Trap technology, which earned the 2024 Edison Patent Award. Just like a modern car that saves fuel on a downhill stretch, Santa’s sleigh uses a clever fuel-cut function that temporarily stops fuel injection while gliding smoothly through the night sky. This helps reduce harmful NOx emissions and optimize fuel efficiency, so the sleigh can maintain peak performance without compromising the environment. This breakthrough emissions control sets a new standard for clean, sustainable travel keeping the holiday spirit alive with less impact on the planet.

Invisible Biometrics Technology for Safe Travels

Santa’s sleigh is not only eco-friendly, but also packed with advanced safety features to protect the spirit of Christmas. Thanks to Continental and trinamiX’s Invisible Biometrics Sensing Display, Santa’s journey is smoother and safer than ever. This invisible technology uses sensors hidden behind an OLED display to monitor vital parameters like heart rate and seatbelt status for both Santa and his passengers. Whether it’s Frosty the Snowman enjoying a cool nighttime breeze or a reindeer needing a quick rest, the system ensures everyone’s comfort and safety. In case of emergency, the technology uses 3D distance mapping to optimize airbag deployment, guaranteeing that Santa and his passengers are secure— even after a rough rooftop landing. With this technology, Santa’s sleigh combines the magic of the season with state-of-the-art innovation, ensuring that his journey is as safe and comfortable as it is joyful.

This year, Santa’s sleigh is more than a mode of transportation— it’s a symbol of the future, blending time-honored tradition with sustainability and innovation. From ChemCycling® technology to battery recycling, advanced coatings to biometric safety systems, Santa’s sleigh is more magical than ever. Thanks to the forward-thinking innovations powered by chemistry for a sustainable future Santa is spreading holiday cheer in a sleigh that’s not only greener and cleaner, but also safer and smarter.

Happy Holidays from BASF!

To learn more about our complete automotive portfolio and how it contributes to better mobility for the future, visit www.basf.com/automotive