Environmental protection and the responsible use of resources have long played a central role for ALTANA and BYK - in a comprehensive sense with regard to raw materials, manufacturing processes and products. Because sustainability is one of ALTANA's overarching corporate goals, the Group published its first environmental report back in 2007. The publication, later called the Sustainability Report, provides information on goals such as the reduction of CO2 emissions and specifies concrete measures such as the installation of ventilation systems with heat recovery.

ALTANA also joins the United Nations Global Compact, committing itself to environmentally conscious and socially responsible corporate management. BYK recognizes that additives have enormous potential to make products more sustainable. In 2009, under the motto "Greenability", the company presented its environmentally friendly product portfolio for the first time, including additives produced with low energy consumption and products for more environmentally friendly paint systems.

In 2011, BYK sets new standards in climate protection: BYK becomes the first chemical company to draw up a TÜV-certified life cycle assessment for additives, i.e. to disclose how much energy is required to manufacture individual products and therefore how much greenhouse gases have been emitted.