Wenew is an ecosystem developed to represent Braskem's products, technologies and initiatives that help drive the circular economy. Therefore, Wenew covers many layers of the hierarchy pyramid: (a) rethink, redesign; (b) reduce & reuse; (c) recycle (mechanical); (d) recycle (chemical). All products coming from recycling technologies (mechanical or chemical) are marketed under the brand Wenew .

Within the scope of our Wenew ecosystem, we have created a movement called Wemove⁴ that represents our way of thinking and acting to promote the circular economy. Our initiatives are centred around educational actions, focused on conscious consumption and adequate disposal. Moreover, it focuses on the development of new technologies with high impact potential for the recovery of plastic waste, and circular design, an agenda dedicated to rethinking products in a comprehensive way.

It was exactly because we at Braskem believe on the need to follow the Waste Hierarchy that we decided to join STOPP . STOPP is a multi-stakeholder initiative to revolutionize the approach towards food plastic packaging by embracing the "5 Rs": Refuse, Reduce, Redesign, Reuse, and Recycle. The strategic actions include analysing plastic waste impact, monitoring current usage, designing sustainable business models, boosting recycling efforts, and understanding consumer attitudes through an in-depth study.

I'm green^TM biobased polyethylene (PE) & Ethylene Vynil Acetate (EVA)

As a producer of plastics and chemicals that come from finite resources, such as oil and gas, before thinking about the design of the products made from our materials, we needed to rethink how we could reduce our dependency on fossil feedstock. And that is exactly what we did when we launched our I'm green^TM bio-based polyethylene (PE) back in 2010. By producing PE from bioethanol ethically and sustainably sourced in Brazil, Braskem showed the world that the same durable and recyclable plastics already in use for decades, can also be produced at scale from a responsibly sourced and renewable biobased feedstock⁵.

To continue bringing sustainable innovation to the market without excessive commercial risk, it has become clear that collaboration is key. One of the many multistakeholder projects Braskem is part of is the EU funded (5.4M EUR) project COUNTLESS .

COUNTLESS will demonstrate the first catalytic hydrogenolysis process operated in continuous mode at industrially relevant scale for the cost-effective and sustainable production of lignin-based platform chemicals. COUNTLESS will demonstrate their applicability and cost-effectiveness in a variety of end-use cases from bulk to specialty applications.

In the project, the 13 partners cover the entire value chain including feedstock suppliers, technology development experts, well-recognized industry players in several application fields, experts in dissemination, communication and exploitation, and experts in integrated sustainability, environmental, and techno-economic assessments.

Circular Packaging Design LAB, created by Braskem with the aim of bringing collective intelligence to the sustainable development of packaging. Using LCA and Design for Environment methodologies, we have been bringing our clients and brand owners to re-think their packaging and create new solutions, focusing mostly on re-use and recycling. Here are some of the brands we have joined forces with us to solve sustainability challenges related to their packaging:

BRASKEM is a proud supporter of the Join the Pipe Foundation⁷ that was created with the mission of reducing plastic waste and making clean drinking water accessible to everyone. They do this by promoting purified tap water in reusable bottles and the expansion of the network of refill stations in many cities around the world. The income generated from marketing their product is invested in over 300 social projects in developing countries, most of them in Africa and Asia. Projects include the installation of water pumps in villages, distribution of water in schools, and cleanup workshops to address the issue of plastic waste. Made of I'm green^TM bio-based polyethylene, this reusable bottle is a great example of the Waste Hierarchy in practice. It's a renewable raw material being used in a reusable application that can easily be recycled at the end of its "life".

Founded in the Netherlands, Bottle Up emerged from the frustration of seeing the Amsterdam canals filled with single-used plastic bottles.

To help eliminate the waste, Bottle Up designed a durable water bottle that is safe enough to refill and just as convenient as any other bottle on the market.

However, Bottle Up's commitment to sustainability goes beyond plastic waste reduction. By making their bottles from carbon-capturing bio-based materials, Bottle up actively tackles climate change by reducing the carbon footprint of their products. What's more, Each one of our reusable, plant-based bottles for each Bottle Up sold, we also make a donation to Made Blue⁸.

Made Blue is an amazing organization, ensuring clean, safe drinking water to at-risk communities in developing countries all over the world. Easy access to clean safe water helps build communities and local economies, improves health conditions, and education.

Upsyde is a joint-venture by Braskem and Terra Circular that uses patented technology to manufacture circular durable goods from 100% hard-to-recycle plastic waste. By doing so, Upsyde gives new life to resources that would otherwise end up in landfills or incineration facilities.

As part of Braskem Wenew's portfolio, Upsyde is one of the projects that will help Braskem fulfil its commitment to eliminate plastic waste, which involves preventing 1.5 million tons of plastic waste from being sent to landfills and incineration plants or being discarded in the environment by 2030, in addition to our commitment of selling 300,000 tons of products with recycled content by 2025 and 1 million tons of these products by 2030.