Braskem's continued work in diversity, equality and inclusion has brought another recognition in the market. The company is now in the 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GEI), which has evaluated criteria such as women's leadership and talent pipeline, pay equality and equal gender pay, inclusive culture, sexual harassment policies and pro-women brand in 380 publicly traded companies based in 44 countries.

Marcelo Arantes, Braskem Vice President - People, Communication, Marketing and Sustainable Development, relates the recognition to the development of the Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Program, created in 2014, and the significance given to the subject in the company's day-to-day activities. "It is a continuous process of changing habits, reviewing practices, learning to live with differences and view society as it really is. It is impossible to be an inclusive company that values diversity if there is no dedication on a daily basis, if we do not give freedom for people to be what they really are. At the end of the day, this evolution has a direct impact on our business, since a company that ensures diversity and promotes inclusion becomes stronger, more innovative and creative", he adds.

Currently, Braskem has more than 8,000 team members in Brazil and around the world. The Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Program acts on Gender, Race and Ethnicity, LGBTQIA+, Disabled People and Socio-economic Equality. These actions are making a difference in changing the reality of a male-dominated industry. Among the main results achieved by Braskem are women holding leadership positions (from 22% in 2015 to 30.1% in 2020) and the number of women returning to work after childbirth (from 65% in 2014 to 97% in 2019). One of the goals is to have more women holding operational positions, currently at 6.1%. Braskem practices aimed at Diversity, Equality & Inclusion are defined based on the BeUX Value Proposal (Be = Be, U = You and X = Experience, that is, Be yourself and enjoy the experience with us).

Diversity taken seriously

Braskem's action against inequalities in the corporate environment was also recognized twice in a row by the Guia Exame de Diversidade (Exame Diversity Guide) (2019 and 2020). In 2019, the company was awarded the WEPs Award (Companies Empowering Women) by UN Women and the Will Award (Women in Leadership Latin America), which highlight companies with good practices for promoting gender equality and women's inclusion in leadership. In 2018, Braskem was also recognized as the best Brazilian company in developing actions to include this target group by the Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, the world's largest organization for LGBTQIA+ rights at the workplace.