The volatile macroeconomic environment is becoming increasingly challenging. The pandemic has shaken up the globalized world in the past two years. Since the end of February 2022, this has been compounded by the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. This has been accompanied by rapidly rising energy prices, high inflation, a tense situation on the raw material markets and major problems in global supply chains. Evonik, like the entire chemical industry, is feeling the effects of the current global crisis and upheavals. By systematically implementing its long-term corporate strategy, Evonik was prepared for and has so far coped well with these challenges.

Evonik is on the way to becoming the world's best specialty chemicals company. In recent years we have strengthened our product portfolio through investments and acquisitions and aligned it to our growth markets. The focus of our portfolio on

high-margin specialty chemicals is not limited to acquisitions, but also includes divestments. We divest businesses when they no longer fit our strategy. We are now initiating the next important phase of our strategic transformation: the green transformation. We are thus positioning ourselves well for the future and making sustainability the central driver of innovation and our businesses. By focusing on sustainability and integrating it into all elements of our corporate strategy, we are sharpening our profile in the market and strengthening our competitive position. On the one hand, our aim is to reduce emissions in our own production processes by a further 25%. We are doing this with our "Next Generation Technologies”. On the other hand, with our "Next Generation Solutions" we want to make our customers' products more sustainable and thus improve their climate footprint.

Sustainability is one of our key growth drivers. We want to take advantage of the opportunities this presents and further increase the share of sustainable products of total sales. By 2025, we aim to generate an additional €1 billion in sales from our innovation growth areas and become the innovation leader in the chemical industry.

For us, the clear focus on green transformation means taking responsibility. We want to play a part in tackling the major challenges of our time. In doing so, we are also laying the foundations for our purpose: to make people's lives better with our innovations and solutions.