Braskem’s Bioplastic is recognized at a UN event as one of the most transforming cases of sustainable development in Brazil

Braskem’s production of I’m green T bio-based polyethylene, a renewable plastic made from sugarcane, was recognized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) of the United Nations (UN) and the Brazil Network of the Global Compact, this Tuesday, May 26, as one of the most transformative cases of sustainable development in Brazil, in the category Industry & Energy. The recognition was made official during Braskem’s participation in the “Big Pushfor Sustainability” webinar, open to the public and organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in partnership with the Global Compact Brazil Network, both entities linked to the UN.

Braskem’s production of plastic from renewable sources completes a decade this year and is the result of years of dedication of the company to research and development of sustainable products. Produced on an industrial scale from the inauguration of the green ethylene plant in the city of Triunfo (RS)In 2010, the initiative gave the company the world leadership in the biopolymer market, with the capacity to manufacture 200,000 tons of the material annually.

The advance of research and development of sustainable products, such as green polyethylene, green EVA and green ethylene glycol, integrate sustainability practices, a concept that has been part of Braskem’s DNA since its foundation in 2002. Regarding the polyethylene I’m greenT bio-based, one of the main differentials is the contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, by capturing more than 3 tons of CO₂for every ton produced. The material also keeps the same properties, performance and versatility as conventional plastic of fossil origin and can be inserted in the same existing production and recycling chains.

Thanks to the partnerships that Braskem has signed over the past 10 years with clients in the plastic chain andbrand owners to stimulate the use of even more sustainable plastic and that minimizes the environmental impacts, today I’m green T bio-based polyethylene is already present in more than 150 brands worldwide, including packaging and products for the most diverse segments, like foods and drinks, personal hygiene and durable goods.

“It is important that everyone, public and private sectors and the society in general, review their ways of acting, producing and consuming. The world has urgent questions that put human existence at risk, such as global warming and the unbridled use of natural resources. From our purpose of improving people’s lives, we constantly seek to innovate and to make our entire value chain aware of these issues. We believe in the potential of the circular economy to advance sustainability and plastic from renewable sources is one of our deliveries in this regard. The UN initiative is an important recognition of this journey, which reinforces that we are on the right track and amplifies the message that plastic can contribute a lot to the sustainable development of the planet,” says Mateus Schreiner Garcez Lopes, responsible for Innovation in Renewable Technologies, who presented a case study “Green Polymers: technology to promote sustainable development” during the ECLAC event on Tuesday.

The investments directed by Braskem to the recycling area were also highlighted at the event. Recently the company expanded its I’m green T portfolio, which now brings together the company’s entire line of circular economy products, such as renewable resins and solutions produced from recycled plastic and applications that use both solutions (recycled and renewable). In the field of chemical recycling, one of the major challenges of the plastic industry, Braskem also continues to carry out studies with the support from universities and research centers to develop technologies that expand the current alternatives of mechanical recycling, transforming plastic waste, such as shopping bags and packaging films, in raw material again.

“Green, inclusive and honest. This is the model of recovery that Brazil needs for the new normal to bring a sustainable country. Our nature brings a peerless comparative advantage, biodiversity, energy matrix, and others. The Big Push for Sustainability shows the creative potential of Brazilian companies and organizations that put us at the front of this agenda”, reinforces Carlo Pereira, executive director of the Global Compact in Brazil.

The case studies presented by Braskem and companies from other sectors in the ECLAC and Global Pact Brazil Network webinar are part of an online repository with over 60 initiatives for sustainable development in Brazil. This is a set of initiatives that leverage national investments and foreigners to generate a Big Push of economic growth, job and income generation, reduction of inequalities and structural gaps and promotion of environmental sustainability.

According to Carlos Mussi, Director of the ECLAC Office in Brazil, the cases gathered in the Repository of cases on the Big Push for Sustainability in Brazil are clear examples of investments that are able to deliver social, economic, and environmental results, in line with a sustainable recovery strategy for the country.