In the last three years, the Logistics Strategy and Projects area at Braskem has focused on supporting the company to fulfill an important commitment for the circular economy: further reduce plastic waste loss in the production of thermoplastic resins. The good performance of these actions led to the OCS Blue seal, awarded by Plastivida, the Operation Clean Sweep® campaign licensor in Brazil, an international campaign focused on the sustainability of the plastics industry. Now, Braskem is at the highest level in a group of global companies in the fight to prevent plastic waste reaching the environment, especially rivers and oceans.

Edison Terra, Vice-President Olefins and Polyolefins at Braskem South America, explains that the award of the OCS Blue certification covers all the company's industrial units in Brazil. "This recognition is the result of teamwork, of Braskem's effort in sustainable development and the commitments we have publicly made as a company that is co-responsible for promoting the circular economy in our supply chain", says Terra. Besides Brazil, OCS Blue certification was recently awarded to Braskem in the United States. Other countries where the company has units are undergoing the certification process.

Work at Braskem began in 2017, when the company joined the Zero Pellet Loss Program in Brazil, a global initiative to manage plastic waste in production processes - pellets are millimetric granules of thermoplastic resin used in the production of plastic items and may get dispersed in factories and logistics operations. Participation has been expanded to the other Braskem units outside Brazil, which has developed awareness actions for the team members as well as the company's partners. The progress made and the entire audit process to obtain the OCS Blue certification in Brazil were monitored using an app developed by Braskem to record indicators and share good practices.

The Zero Pellet Loss Program also helped Braskem in defining specific measures in its industrial and logistics areas, such as changes in flooring, purchase of vacuum cleaners, installation of collectors to capture pellets, flakes and powders, installation of protectors in equipment to contain loss of material, and installation of pellet collection grilles in the water and rainwater drainage channels. Implementation and improvements were introduced in packaging usage and filling systems, and in the truck loading and unloading methods that transport the cargo.

According to Silvia Migueles, in charge of resin logistics at Braskem South America, the Operation Clean Sweep® endorsement, received through Plastivida, highlights the difference of the company's actions. "Companies with more sustainable operational models will be stronger in the next decades, from the viewpoint of society and of investors, who are increasingly more demanding and asking for commitments for the environment and future generations, as well as from the viewpoint of business, especially considering operations in the context of climate change", she adds.

Braskem part of the group of global companies embracing sustainability

Along the same line of the group of companies of Operation Clean Sweep®, Braskem is a member of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), an international initiative that includes 46 other major companies, with Braskem as the only Brazilian. These are companies that produce, use, sell, process, collect and recycle plastics that are united to develop projects in clean-up, infrastructure, innovation, education and engagement. It is considered the most comprehensive action ever undertaken to end plastics disposal in the environment, having started with an investment budget of up to USD 1.5 billion.

Braskem is also a member of the CFO Taskforce, a task force gathered under the UN Global Compact to foster corporate engagement for sustainable development. The group comprises financial leaders of major companies and, in practice, intends to support companies in aligning their sustainability commitments with their financial strategies, in order to create a positive impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) at local and global levels.