Better Health for All

Wacker Chemie AG's biosolutions division offers products with significant health benefits, including alpha-cyclodextrins certified by the European Commission for proven health benefits, and ingredients that improve bioavailability of natural substances, reduce LDL cholesterol by 8%, and lower blood pressure.

The company states that 94% of its sales in 2024 came from sustainable products. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Wacker invested over €100 million in an mRNA Competence Center in Halle, Germany, which achieved pandemic readiness by June 1, 2024, with a target capacity of 80 million mRNA vaccine doses annually. This facility was constructed in a record-fast time, and Wacker recruited over 100 staff within one year. The company's R&D expenditure for health-related outcomes is not explicitly stated, but its total R&D expenditure was 3.9% of sales in 2024. While some products contribute to preventative health, the company's overall health-related expenditure on prevention is not specified. For food-related products, the company focuses on nutritional quality and safety, with specific products like CAVACURMIN and CAVAQ10 demonstrating increased bioavailability.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

The annual total compensation of the highest-paid individual is 27.6 times more than the median employee compensation.

Worldwide, 81.8 percent of employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. The company reported a plant safety-related incident rate (WPSIR) of 1.5 per one million hours worked in 2024 and 0.8 in 2023, with zero severe plant safety-related incidents in those years. However, a fatal incident occurred last year at the Bradley County plant, resulting in one death and four injuries, for which the plant was cited for a serious violation. The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) also charged Wacker with nine violations and $45,400 in fines. The difference between the average hourly wage of female and male employees is 6.2 percent, with men earning more. The voluntary resignation rate was 2.7% groupwide in 2020. Approximately 10% of the workforce is on temporary contracts, with conversion targets set. 95.3% of employees are covered by welfare benefits to avoid loss of income for major life events.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

WACKER Chemie conducts supplier audits at least every three years.

The company has reported no specific forced or child labor incidents in its supply chain. In 2024, 97% of key suppliers had a binding confirmation regarding the Supplier Code of Conduct. WACKER aims for 100% RSPO-certified palm oil by 2030, obtained RSPO certification in 2021, and found no evidence of conflict minerals from non-compliant mines. The company expects major deviations detected during on-site audits to be remedied without delay, and reassessments have led to improvements for roughly 60% of affected suppliers.

Honest & Fair Business

Wacker Chemie AG launched a global whistleblower system in 2021, accessible internally and externally, 24/7 in multiple languages.

The system is operated by a third-party on certified German servers, ensuring anonymity. Reports are handled confidentially and investigated immediately, with whistleblowers receiving confirmation of receipt and updates on the investigation status and outcome. Protection from retaliation is emphasized, aligning with the German Whistleblower Protection Act. The company has had zero financial restatements in the past five years, with an unqualified audit opinion issued by PwC GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft for 2024. Wacker has a comprehensive anti-corruption policy with a zero-tolerance stance on bribery and corruption, supported by mandatory compliance training every two years for all employees, achieving a 90% qualification rate in the reporting period. The Chief Compliance Officer reports directly to the President and CEO, and the company conducts regular anti-corruption risk assessments, examining 35 organizational units and 25% of legal entities in 2023, with no corruption or bribery incidents reported in 2023.

Kind to Animals

WACKER CHEMIE has a policy to avoid animal testing to the greatest possible extent, contracting only those tests required by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA).

The company uses recognized alternative methods, such as in vitro tests, whenever possible and actively seeks to replace animal experiments with these methods. However, REACH regulations necessitate an increase in legally mandated animal testing, and the company states that 15,000–25,000 animals are used per year. WACKER collaborates with external scientific institutes to examine physicochemical properties and participates in REACH consortia to exchange scientific data. In 2024, 93% of key suppliers had valid sustainability assessments or audits, with 84% meeting WACKER’s minimum requirements. The company aims for 100% of key suppliers to meet minimum requirements by 2030. In 2024, just under 7% of total raw materials, including packaging, was attributable to biogenic material. The company analyzes impacts on water and biodiversity, and states that no material negative impacts or risks were identified at sites near biodiversity areas, so no specific measures are considered necessary. WACKER is actively involved in shaping energy, climate, and industrial policy, and maintains dialogue with social interest groups and policymakers, with representatives in Berlin and Brussels.

No War, No Weapons

Wacker Chemie AG states adherence to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and has a Human Rights Committee to oversee these policies.

The company uses standardized reporting templates (CMRT and EMRT) from the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) at least annually to track the origin of conflict minerals and requires annual confirmation from suppliers that they are not sourcing these minerals from non-compliant mines. However, no specific percentage of the supply chain certified conflict-free is provided, and Wacker states they have no evidence suggesting raw materials come from non-compliant mines. Similarly, no specific percentage of procurement from conflict-affected or high-risk areas is provided, though Wacker requires suppliers to confirm no procurement from conflict zones.

Safe & Smart Tech

The company reported no justified complaints regarding customer privacy violations or data loss during its 2018 reporting period.

Wacker Chemie AG utilizes the ISO 27001 standard, indicating a commitment to information security. A mandatory online data protection course for all employees was introduced in 2018, with additional training for affected departments, and security awareness training including anti-phishing tests was conducted in October 2024. The company uses SSL encryption for data transmission in some cases. No incidents of unauthorized data use were reported in the 2018 period. Users have rights to access, rectify, erase, restrict processing, and data portability of their personal data, and can delete their profiles and accounts. Authentication systems are regularly updated, and authorization is based on need-to-know and least-privilege principles. The company conducts penetration tests, audits, and assessments for vulnerability management. Data minimization practices are in place, with employees instructed to assess the necessity and duration of data storage. Wacker Chemie AG states compliance with GDPR, LGPD, PIPL, CCPA, and DPDP Act, and adapted processes for GDPR in 2017. Regular security testing is conducted to identify vulnerabilities.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

WACKER uses 30% recycled materials in its transport tanks (IBCs).

The company has integrated circular design principles into its operations, utilizing a mass balance approach and operating integrated production systems at major sites (Burghausen, Nünchritz, Charleston, Zhangjiagang) to reuse materials and byproducts, such as recovering hydrogen chloride and acetic acid. WACKER also employs a biomass balance method, certified by REDcert2, to produce items like ELASTOSIL® eco, LIOSIL® eco, and VINNECO® using biobased raw materials from waste streams. Waste reduction initiatives include switching transport bags from bleached to unbleached paper in 2020, which reduced CO2 emissions by 60% for suppliers, and using recycled HDPE for IBCs. The company has waste reduction targets, aiming for all products to meet defined sustainability standards by 2030. WACKER's integrated production system also focuses on hazardous waste management by recovering hydrogen chloride from downstream processes and generating steam from chlorine-containing waste gases, demonstrating closed-loop systems for these materials.