Braskem and partners to donate material to hospitals and communities to fight the coronavirus pandemic

Braskem has joined partners in the chemical and plastic chain to donate essential materials to fight the new coronavirus in public hospitals. The donated thermoplastic resin can produce more than 60 million masks or more than 1 million aprons.  They will also donate materials for the production of packages for 750 thousand liters of liquid alcohol and alcohol-based gel, for more than 500 thousand wash bottles (a type of plastic bottle for alcohol-based gel used in hospitals), and 10 thousand boxes of hypochlorite for dilution or use as sanitizer, and more than 150 thousand plastic bags for hospital waste. In the international market, Braskem is looking for ventilators to supply the public health system. The items will benefit hospitals in Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and São Paulo. The joint work, which involves clients and class entities, already has 32 initiatives.

The donation of raw material for the production of protective equipment and packages already exceeds 370 tons, which will have their value leveraged by petrochemical partners. Last week, Braskem had announced an additional credit facility of R$ 1 billion to help small and medium sized companies of the chain to go through the next months of crisis generated by the coronavirus.

“Covid-19 imposes a challenging situation on our society and we believe that union is a fundamental part of overcoming this moment. Our company has a clear purpose of improving people’s lives and it could not be any different now. Through partnerships with our value chain, members of an important sector for the Brazilian economy and the country’s development, we have joined forces to make the delivery of essential items for the public health system and the communities possible,” says Jorge Soto, director of Sustainable Development at Braskem. “We also engage with business organizations, NGOs, universities and research centers. This a time for us to work together in the fight against the coronavirus,” he adds.

One of the most representative initiatives is the donation of polypropylene, the raw material for the production of TNT (non-fabric). The product will be manufactured by Fitesa and donated together with the company to be used in surgical masks and protective aprons, for example.

Braskem’s participation also involves the donation of equipment, staple food, and cleaning kits for the other actions.

In Maceió (AL), Braskem and partner companies will contribute to the construction of a field hospital at the Sesi Gymnasium facilities. The temporary hospital will focus on the medical care of everyday issues. “The goal is to not overburden the city’s public health system, and help them dedicate to patients with suspected or confirmed covid-19,” Soto explains.

For the society directly, the company will donate more than 50 thousand cleaning kits, which include products such as disinfectant, detergent and soap, and will focus on families living in the regions of Duque de Caxias (RJ); Salvador, Camaçari, Candeias, Dias D’Ávila and Simões Filho (BA); Maceió and Marechal Deodoro (AL); São Paulo, Santo André, Cubatão and Mauá (SP); Nova Santa Rita, Montenegro and Triunfo (RS). These are places where Braskem has operations.

Also of more than 100,000  bottles of alcohol-based gel will be donated to communities in the metropolitan region of São Paulo and the city of Duque de Caxias, in Rio de Janeiro. This initiative also foresees the donation of staple food  for three months to more than one thousand families of recyclable material collectors in Alagoas, Bahia, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Rio Grande do Sul.

In line with the efforts in favor of the use of 3D printing to combat covid-19 worldwide, Braskem will make raw materials available to eight research centers in Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul and São Paulo: “We believe in the potential for positive impact that 3D printing has, especially in cases like this. This is already a branch where we operate and, therefore, we have specific resins for this purpose that can contribute to the advancement of solutions,” says Jorge Soto.

Besides Braskem and Fitesa, companies and entities such as BrasALPLA, Plimax, Indústrias Reunidas Raymundo da Fonte, Companhia Nacional do Álcool, Raízen, Federação das Indústrias do Estado da Bahia (FIEB) and Federação das Indústrias do Estado de Alagoas (FIEA), UNICA, Senai (SP), Emplas, Newsul, Soroplast, Mauser, Ingleza, Alemolde, Raízes-Vibraço, Simperj, ABIHPEC, Cristal Embalagens, AZPlast, SR Embalagens, Epema, Unicamp, Plástico Itália, Grupo Chiaccio, 3D Criar and Projeto Higia are part of the initiatives.

See the summary of the actions taken:

– Donation of thermoplastic resins that allow the production of masks and aprons for hospital use. More than 60 million masks or 1 million aprons can be produced;

– Donation of staple food for three months for more than 1,200 families that work in recycling;

– 50 thousand families around their plants in Brazil will receive hygiene and cleaning products;

– Support to the government of Alagoas in the implementation of a field hospital;

– Supply of raw material for 3D printing in 8 research centers for the production of hospital protection masks.

Health and safety of Braskem members in the fight against Covid-19

Braskem has also taken a series of preventive measures to ensure the health and safety of all members. The company has determined remote work (flex office) for employees who are part of vulnerable groups and office employees. In the production line, Braskem is working with a reduced team for the safe continuity of operations and has reinforced the guidance of health bodies.

National and international work trips were suspended, as well as the participation of the members in meetings and face-to-face events. In addition, all employees with symptoms similar to those of covid-19 are advised to immediately communicate Braskem’s Health area.