Over the past year, Cognis has taken steps to anchor the 24 Principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering into its processes. The principles look at products and processes from a 360° perspective, thus allowing Cognis to steer its portfolio to a higher level of sustainability. For example, Cognis has developed tools to enable its R&D teams to apply these internationally recognized guidelines directly during the development phase of their projects.

In 2009, Cognis’ sustainability-based approach proved to be a sound business strategy. Throughout the downturn, user demand for its environmentally friendly solutions has remained robust in mature markets and continues to grow in emerging regions.

“We are glad to be in a position to state that Cognis has a strong record on sustainability,” said Richard Ridinger, chairman of the company’s Sustainability Council. “But that does not mean we are satisfied; on the contrary, our accomplishments serve as inspiration to continue our hard work and to keep applying our innovative drive in addressing the full spectrum of complex and evolving sustainability issues.”

The Cognis Sustainability Report is located on the Cognis website at www.cognis.com/company/Sustainability/Download+Center.