The Solid Contact Clarifier Tank type Sludge Recirculation process in Water Treatment plant with Sunrise

Sustainable Waste Management

We aim to avoid hazardous as well as non-hazardous waste as far as possible and to break the link between our business growth and waste production. Rigorous materialflow management from use of raw materials to product finishing is aimed at ensuring that we use resources as efficiently as possible and minimize our waste volumes.

Strategic Alignment with Circularity and Climate Goals

LANXESS embeds waste management within a broader sustainability strategy that targets climate neutrality, resource efficiency, and circular value chains. We actively reduce waste volumes, increase recycling rates, and minimize landfill disposal across all global production sites. Our additives and chemical solutions are designed to extend product lifecycles, enable safe reuse, and support circular economy models in downstream industries.

Through our Scopeblue® product line, we promote materials that meet stringent sustainability criteria—either through significantly reduced carbon footprints or the use of circular raw materials. These innovations directly contribute to reducing waste and emissions across the value chain.

Integrated Waste and Resource Management

Our waste management systems are globally standardized and continuously optimized. We aim to reduce total waste and landfill volumes significantly by implementing advanced sorting, recycling, and recovery technologies. All production sites are progressively equipped with expanded waste management capabilities, ensuring consistent environmental performance and compliance.

We monitor and report waste flows transparently, including hazardous and non-hazardous waste, and pursue ambitious reduction targets. Our strategy includes:

Minimizing hazardous waste generation through process innovation and substitution of critical substances.
Maximizing recycling and recovery to reduce environmental impact and conserve resources.
Phasing out substances of concern in alignment with our product stewardship roadmap.

Our Targets

Our waste management encompasses systematic management of material flows. In order to manage our waste even better in the future, we are planning a comprehensive expansion of our existing waste management system.

2028 target: Implementation of an extended global Waste Management System

Between 2018 and 2021, we reduced waste volume by around 25 %. Our total waste reduction target focuses on our non-aqueous waste. We are committed to reducing hazardous / non-hazardous waste, a commitment that is reflected in our defined waste reduction targets.

2030 target: Reduce the total amount of waste by 10% compared to the base year 2021

In addition to reducing the total amount of waste, we are also looking at our landfilled waste in particular. Landfilling waste stands in contrast to the transformation to a circular economy, which we actively support. We have therefore set ourselves the following goal.

2030 target: Reduce the total amount of landfilled waste by 50% compared to the base year 2021

ESTABLISHED PRACTICE: OPTIMIZING MATERIAL FLOW

TURNING WASTE INTO VALUE

Our site in Bergkamen is con-ducting a partially publicly funded research project to con-vert a significant waste stream into a valuable sales product. If successful on the market, this will significantly reduce the site’s carbon footprint and the consumption of raw materials. These actions encompass the Group’s own production. The research project was launched in 2024 and is expected to be completed in 2027.

IRON RECOVERY

At our Uerdingen site, the Inorganic Pigments business unit produces iron oxides using the Laux process, which involves reacting cast iron filings with nitro-benzene in an acidic medium. Due to process requirements, excess iron is used, and the unreacted portion—previously disposed of as waste—can no longer be reused in produc-tion. Since 2022, however, up to 75% of this iron has been recovered through partnerships in the metal industry, signif-icantly reducing landfill volumes.

GLUTARIC ACID

In Uerdingen, Advanced Industrial Interme-diates passes on glutaric acid – a by-product of adipic acid production – to a partner for their production.

Enabling a Sustainable Future

LANXESS views waste not as a by-product, but as a resource to be managed intelligently. By integrating waste management into our innovation, operations, and product design, we contribute to a more sustainable chemical industry and support our customers in achieving their own environmental goals.

Our ambition is clear: to operate responsibly, reduce environmental impact, and enable sustainable growth through smart resource and waste management.