Foreword

We go beyond – Enabling transformation and going beyond what is familiar are the keys to a sustainable world. That is a route we at Evonik have been traveling for a long time, paving the way forward with our passion for outstanding products and technologies. Competitiveness and sustainability are complementary elements in a future-oriented business model: the more resources we save, the more profitable and innovative we are, the better we secure our future. That is our conviction. Moreover, it is precisely why we are implementing our sustainable corporate strategy—Next Generation Evonik—even in times when our business and society are challenged by geopolitical, ecological, and social crises.

We are driving forward the transformation of industry and society by working closely with our customers. That is the only way we can give our products properties that offer them the competitive advantage they need to be successful. Our focus is on using our innovative capability to create a future worth living. We are cooperating closely with partners in projects on green energy, portfolio transformation, and the circular economy—the top topics identified in our materiality analysis.

We are extending our business with NextGen Solutions. In other words, we are investing specifically in producing sustainable and cost-effective products—from specialty solutions for battery technologies for e-mobility through membranes to treat biogas and extract hydrogen to lipids for modern therapies for infectious disease control and cancer immunotherapies. At the same time, we are continuing our endeavors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions with our NextGen Technologies. In the reporting period, we therefore invested in projects to avoid CO2 emissions in the future. In short: In these challenging times, we are investing in our future.

We have more than 30,000 employees around the world. They are the key success factor for the implementation of our ambitious targets. NextGen Culture is about giving sustainability a firm place in our hearts and minds. The people who work for Evonik aspire to achieve something together, to strike out in new directions and do something that is meaningful. Together with our customers, we are going beyond what is considered possible today and creating completely new solutions for the most important issues of our shared future. In keeping with our purpose: Leading beyond chemistry to improve life, today and tomorrow.