Braskem’s units in Camaçari (BA) and production of renewable Polyethylene Wax receive International Sustainability and Carbon Certification

Achieving ISCC Plus certification for the industrial plants will allow the company to expand the production and marketing of resins and chemicals from circular and/or renewable raw materials

Braskem, market leader and pioneer in the production of biopolymers on an industrial scale, has received the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC Plus) for the use of circular and/or renewable raw materials in the production of resins and chemicals in its industrial units at the Camaçari Petrochemical Complex in Bahia.

From now on, these plants will be able to use alternative raw materials in their production processes. Among these input possibilities is the pyrolysis oil or circular oil – produced from pyrolysis, a chemical process that breaks down plastic waste molecules from heat – which will be used as a circular raw material in Braskem’s plants for the production of new chemicals and polymers.

The certification achievement is part of Braskem’s efforts to eliminate plastic waste. The company will expand its recycled product portfolio to include 300,000 tons of thermoplastic resins and chemicals with recycled content by 2025 and 1 million tons of these products by 2030. It also intends, within this timeframe, to eliminate 1.5 million tons of plastic waste that would otherwise be sent to incineration, landfills, or dumped in the environment. In addition to the plants located in Camaçari, the office in Philadelphia, USA, and the intermediate chemicals plant in São Paulo were also certified for the first time.

The document also represents the continuity and expansion of the permission granted to Braskem to advance in the production and sale of industrial products from circular raw materials. In 2021, the units in the Grande ABC Petrochemical Complex, in the state of São Paulo, and in the Triunfo Petrochemical Complex, in Rio Grande do Sul, also went through the audits and kept their certificates.

“From this seal it is possible to attribute renewable or circular content to any product originating from these units and that are produced from non-conventional raw materials,” explains Luiz Falcon, responsible for Braskem’s Recycling platform. “Previously, the need was focused on sugarcane because of PE (polyethylene) and EVA (Ethylene Vinyl Acetate). Now, through this expansion of certification, it will be possible to include in the list of processes other types of raw materials, such as circulars, that will be transformed into new resins or chemicals”.

Another important achievement for Braskem was the ICSS Plus certification for the production of I’m greenT bio-based wax, which is developed from renewable polyethylene (PE). “With the certification we ensure that the source used in the product is of renewable origin, thus ensuring transparency and responsibility, in addition to the commitment to sustainability for our partners and customers,” says Gustavo Sergi, director of Renewable Chemicals and Specialties at Braskem.

The achievement of the ISCC Plus certification is aligned with Braskem’s renewable raw material diversification strategy and the company’s macro objectives to expand the concept of circular economy in the plastic chain and become a carbon neutral company by 2050.