Ashland is at a unique inflection point in our sustainability journey. 

What started as a concerted and passionate effort to advance our sustainability disciplines to positively impact the planet, has now become a critical business capability that drives our core expertise and reputation to solve some of the world’s most complex problems.

As a global, consumer marketfocused additives and specialty ingredients company, Ashland is acutely conscious of the power of applied science to transform the efficacy, usability, and allure of industrial and consumer products, and of the power of research and innovation to raise the standard of products’ integrity and profitability. In this report, you will see how sustainability practices and disciplines are driving and enabling that complex and important work.

These challenges require a uniquely conscious and cutting-edge approach to innovation and industryrecognized experts in every market we serve, as well as a deep understanding of consumer needs. It requires a commitment to work up and down the value chain, to deliver products and services that meet those needs while improving the quality of life on the planet.

In 2021 Ashland took a significant step forward. We committed to the Paris Climate Accord and United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. Our work is well underway, and we expect to submit our emissions reductions goals for approval by the end of 2022. In many ways, we are marking a shift to a portfolio shaped by environment, social and governance (ESG), driven by customer and consumer needs. Our new product innovations are increasingly sustainable - natural, nature-derived, biodegradable, or sustainable-in use; in addition to being focused on growth.

At the same time, we are putting the power of our people and our products closer to customers, consumers, and communities we serve. Our donation to the Anita B organization on International Women’s Day and our support of the Nature Conservancy’s Plant a Billion Trees reforestation program are two small examples of this focused footprint approach to targeted community relations and sustainable engagement.

2021 also saw us well on the way to establishing the one-of-a-kind, Responsible Solvers™ program. Born of our 7-year sponsorship of the Delaware STEM Educators’ Awards, our STEM commitment pervades everything we do and drives Ashland’s philanthropic agenda to supporting and developing the next generation of problem-solvers, many of whom will focus their energies on the problems and programs addressed in this report.

Ashland’s ESG plans are collaborative efforts that extend far beyond the walls of Ashland, across continents, countries, customers, and consumers, into farmlands and rainforests, cities, and villages. Our expertise depends on partnering with other organizations. And our success is tied to companies, governments, non-profits, and advocates who share our passion for the environment and collaborative problem-solving approach.

In many ways, we are marking a shift to a portfolio shaped by ESG, driven by customer and consumer needs. The next phase of our plan depends on broader engagement, deeper understanding and committed collaboration since sustainability is no longer something we do - it is a part of who we are as problem-solvers, businesspeople, and Ashland employees.