PHILADELPHIA, Feb. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Braskem
(B3: BRKM3, BRKM5 and BRKM6; NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX: XBRK), the largest
polyolefins producer in the Americas and leading producer of
biopolymers in the world, announces today the use of
construction blocks containing the Center for Regenerative
Design & Collaboration's (CRDC) RESIN8™ post-consumer
plastic waste technology in the expansion of Braskem's world-class
Innovation and Technology (I&T) Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Center for Regenerative
Design & Collaboration, based in Costa Rica with operations in the U.S. and
South Africa, produced the blocks
utilized by Braskem at Fizzano Brothers Concrete Products in
Philadelphia, integrating a
concrete aggregate replacement made from post-consumer plastic
waste. The use of CRDC's RESIN8™ blocks creates demand
for formerly landfill-bound mixed plastics and diverts plastic
waste from otherwise escaping waste collection and going back into
the environment. Not only do the blocks have additional strength
and the same certifications as traditional concrete blocks, but
they also weigh less, which helps reduce their carbon impact and
lowers the cost of shipping in the transportation process.
Mark Nikolich, Braskem America
CEO, commented, "We are proud to be the first to use CRDC's
RESIN8™ blocks in North America. As part of our unending
commitment to a circular economy, Braskem believes that when
plastics are used and discarded responsibly, they are essential for
the life of our planet. Innovations in plastics recycling
such as this are important for the proper management of plastic
waste, which allows us to continue leveraging the benefits of
plastics while diverting these materials from the environment. We
are excited to have a partner like CRDC that is innovating with
plastic waste and provides us this opportunity to act sustainably
in the redevelopment of our I&T center."
The renovation of Braskem's I&T Center, including eight new
laboratories, will enhance the company's global cutting-edge
research in chemical recycling and the re-use of post-consumer
plastics. Braskem is at the forefront of this research at their
I&T Centers in the U.S. and Brazil. Braskem's I&T Center in
Pittsburgh has been honored as a
Top Workplaces Award winner for six consecutive years by the
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's annual list of Top Workplaces, including
receiving the prestigious award seven out of the last eight
years.
Donald Thomson, Founder and
Chairman of CRDC, says, "RESIN8™ is a working example of the
Circular Economy that has the potential to scale globally. We
are successfully transitioning the plastic waste stream into an
appreciating value stream for the concrete, construction, and
housing industries. We take a zero-waste approach to resource
management which fosters a co-existence with our natural
environment and provides measurable societal and financial yields.
CRDC is honored to be working with Braskem and thanks them for the
opportunity to showcase our RESIN8™ technology."
With a global vision focused on the future, Braskem works every
day to improve people's lives by creating sustainable solutions in
chemicals and plastics through innovation. Today's announcement
directly supports Braskem's overall vision that 100% of plastic
packaging be reused, recycled or recovered by 2040. To learn more
about Braskem's commitment to circular economy visit
www.braskem.com/circulareconomy.
ABOUT THE CENTER FOR
REGENERATIVE DESIGN & COLLABORATION (CRDC)
The Center for Regenerative
Design & Collaboration (CRDC) is based in Costa Rica with operations in the U.S. and
South Africa. CRDC
understands that a proactive and integrated approach must to be
taken in order to harmonize a growing population with the resulting
pressures that population puts on the environment. It is
important we rethink our past and continue to reinvent our future
by recovering and managing plastic waste as a resource in a growing
Circular Economy. For more information, visit
www.crdc.global.
ABOUT BRASKEM
Every day, Braskem's 8,000 team members work to improve people's
lives through sustainable solutions in chemistry and plastics and
engage with partners throughout the value chain to advance the
circular economy. With 41 industrial units in Brazil, United
States, Mexico and
Germany, net revenue of
R$58 billion (US$15.8 billion) and exports to around 100
countries, Braskem produces annually over 20 million tons of
plastic resins and chemical products.
Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of
Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading
producer of polypropylene in the United
States, with six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, an Innovation and Technology
Center in Pittsburgh, and
operations in Boston focused on
leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and
advanced materials. For more information, visit
www.braskem.com/usa.
ABOUT BLUEVISION
Bluevision was created to represent actions and initiatives
that focus on sustainability and which bring a positive impact to
the planet and people's lives. It is a platform that shows the
capacity of the human being to actively influence the course of the
planet through their actions and everyday lives. Through facts,
stories and curiosities, Bluevision connects people who are seeking
innovative and society-oriented solutions that use resources in an
intelligent way. For more information about Bluevision please
visit: www.bluevisionbraskem.com
Braskem on social
media:
www.facebook.com/BraskemGlobal
www.linkedin.com/company/braskem
www.twitter.com/BraskemSA
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SOURCE Braskem