Braskem is the only Brazilian company recognized as a Leader Company in Sustainable Development by the UN Global Compact

Braskem’s recognition as a Leading Company in Sustainable Development by Global Compact LEAD for the sixth consecutive year was announced this Monday (23) at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, in the United States.

The Global Compact LEAD is a select group of companies that have recognized their commitments to the UN Global Compact and that take a leadership role within the Global Compact, considered the largest corporate sustainability initiative in the world. More than 10,000 companies from all over the world participate in the Global Compact and, of this total, only 36 companies received UN recognition, whereas Braskem the only Brazilian company among those recognized.

“We are concerned to constantly reinforce our engagement and contributions to social and environmental agendas. Our purpose is to improve people’s lives by creating sustainable solutions from chemistry and plastics, and we are very proud to be recognized once again as a Leading Company in Sustainable Development by such an important organization. This shows that we are on the right track”, says Fernando Musa, president of Braskem, who was present at UN Climate Week events in New York. Jorge Soto, director of Sustainable Development received the recognition on behalf of Braskem.

Musa represented Braskem in two events that are part of the Climate Week program: Transformative Business Leadership for 1.5oC future and UN Private Sector Forum, two meetings of government leaders, officers of large companies and representatives of the civil society and the UN itself to discuss the importance of expanding the ambition to avoid greater impacts arising from climate change.

For Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of the UN Global Compact, “LEAD companies represent the highest level of engagement with the UN Global Compact. More than ever, the world needs companies of all sizes – such as those announced today as LEAD – that continually work to improve their sustainability performance and take steps to build a better world.

To receive recognition, companies must actively participate in at least two Global Compact Action Platforms, demonstrating involvement and commitment in defining and promoting leadership practices aligned with the Ten Universal Principles of the Compact, which are fundamental and internationally accepted values in the areas of human rights, labor relations, the environment and fighting corruption, and with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an agenda with global actions built in common agreement with several nations, including Brazil, and with goals to be achieved by 2030.

Sustainable Development at Braskem

At Braskem, Sustainable Development is considered in all businesses, projects and processes. In the Climate and Water themes, e.g., the company continues to seek to engage partners, customers and suppliers. In 2019, it remained on “List A” of the CDP Supply Chain ranking, of the CDP non-profit organization that assesses which companies best influence their supply chains in the adoption of new approaches to climate change and water management. Braskem is the only Brazilian company with the highest classification in the Climate rankings, for three consecutive times, and Water, for the second time.

In July of this year, Braskem joined the CEO Water Mandate of the Global Compact, a global community formed by more than 150 companies committed to advancing water management. And the company continues to invest in the development of products and solutions that can minimize the maximum environmental and social impacts, always aligned with a business strategy that considers ten macro-objectives with targets defined for 2020, linked to the UN SDGs.

Braskem’s ten macro-objectives for contributing to Sustainable Development are: Safety, Economic-Financial Results, Post-consumption, Local Development, Water Efficiency, Climate Change, Solution Development, Strengthening Practices, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Resources. All actions can be checked in the Annual Sustainability Report – the detailing of the progress of each company’s initiatives is also a condition to be recognized as a Leading Company in this area by the Global Compact LEAD.

One of Braskem’s actions in the area of Renewable Resources, for example, is the development of Green Plastic, the world’s first polyethylene from a 100% renewable source, produced from sugarcane and that contributes to the reduction of CO2, one of the gases that causes the greenhouse effect. In order to expand its portfolio of renewable resins, in 2018 Braskem started producing EVA Verde, also from sugarcane, a solution aimed at applications in sectors such as footwear, automotive and transportation, among others.

Also in 2018, Braskem publicly supported the Circular Economy, adhering to voluntary commitments and defining a series of global initiatives for the development of partnerships with clients in the conception of products to expand and facilitate the recycling and reuse of plastic packaging, especially those for single use. The initiatives also include the advancement of investments in new resins of renewable origin and support for new technologies, business models and systems for collection, sorting, recycling and recovery of materials, in addition to educational actions that promote the engagement of consumers in recycling programs and conscious consumption.

Another example of Braskem’s initiative for sustainable development is in the company’s management processes. Over the past few years, the company has continued to implement new routines, controls and review policies to improve governance and compliance processes, in order to make teams increasingly multicultural and multi-ethnic and to strengthen the business contribution to Sustainable Development and, at the same time, strengthen its business.