MUENSTER, Germany — BASF’s Coatings division was awarded the Pierre Potier prize medal in the Environmentally Friendly Process category for its R-M® eSense automotive paint line, which covers all bodywork repairs. Agnès Pannier-Runacher, French Secretary of State to the Minister of the Economy and Finance, attended the awards ceremony. The Pierre Potier prize honors chemical companies that innovate and constantly strive to improve their products and procedures in an effort to preserve the environment, and thus provide solutions to the challenge of the ecological transition. The Pierre Potier prize also encourages the development of eco-responsible approaches in the chemical sector.
The innovation of the eSense line is based on BASF’s Biomass Balance approach, developed in cooperation with the TÜV SÜD certification body. This approach involves using renewable resources to reduce the share of fossil fuel resources in the feedstock right from the start of the paint product manufacturing process. The share of renewable raw material used is then allocated to a selection of end products. The use of renewable raw materials, in this case biogas or bio-naphtha, means the eSense line is part of the bio-economy. Since 2018, BASF transferred the certification to the new European REDcert2 standard for the chemical company.