Braskem, Antilhas and Solví create 100% recyclable packaging made with post-consumer content for organic fertilizer

Monomaterial solution will pack Organosolví's 1st retail shelf product; innovation ecosystem created by companies designed to drive the circular economy - from design of the product to its reintroduction into the production chain

Braskem, committed to strengthening and consolidating the circular economy, along with Antilhas, a specialist in packaging innovations and solutions, and Solví, a leader in the treatment, disposal and recovery of waste, have developed a 100% recyclable stand-up pouch monomaterial packaging with the capacity to store 2 kg of organic fertilizer from Organosolví - a company in the Solví Group. The packaging, developed at Cazoolo - Braskem's Circular Packaging Design Lab, is produced with polyethylene (PE) and also includes Wenew post-consumer recycled resin (PCR) from reverse logistics of flexible packaging in its composition.

The solution will be applied by Organosolví, which produces organic fertilizers by composting waste and organic by-products from the agroindustry. Based on the concepts of regenerative economy, the fertilizer is a factor in the recovery of natural soil systems, providing safe nutrition for growing plants, flowers and fruits domestically, in addition to bring benefits to the health and well-being of those who use it. Now, this organic and sustainable product, traditionally used by major food producers, is also available to all consumers in various garden centers and planting stores throughout Brazil. 

Ariane Mayer, Head of Open Innovation and Sustainability at Grupo Solví, describes, "It all began when Organosolví, which already had an organic fertilizer made in a 100% circular way offered in the market, made the decision to take it to the end consumer, releasing the 1st retail shelving product from the Solví Group. But one of the biggest challenges was finding packaging on the market that was consistent with the Group's product and values, which is circular by design. That's when Solví's research, development and innovation (RD&I) team, when looking towards the innovation ecosystem, found partners who accepted the challenge of co-building something completely new." She added, "In this way, the packaging was born as a natural sequence of the sustainable portfolio of the companies involved."

The packaging contains 57% Wenew PCR, a product that is part of Braskem's portfolio of solutions with recycled content. The use of PCR in the packaging helps prevent an equivalent average of 25% of CO₂ emissions compared to one produced with virgin (PE) raw material.

Fabiana Quiroga, Braskem's Circular Economy Executive Officer in South America, explained, "By investing in partnerships like this, which involves everything from product packaging design to proper disposal, Braskem plays a role in boosting all links in the chain towards the circular economy. Sustainability is at the heart of our strategy, and we're delighted to join partners who share these same values and facilitate the creation of innovative solutions."

Celso Pedroso, CEO of the Solví Group, added, "We are focused on making sure that circularity can be applied in waste management by expanding the offer of businesses geared towards recovering resources and regenerating ecosystems, such as reverse logistics of post-consumer waste, sorting units and composting. With its first shelf product, Organosolví extends our excellence to the final consumer in a pioneering way, offering an organic and sustainable product." He added, "And we rely on partnerships like this to continue perpetuating our purpose of offering solutions for life."

The stand-up pouch package was produced by Antilhas. The artwork was printed with Gelflex Electron Beam ink, the company's exclusive technology, helping to obtain a 50% reduction in energy consumption and a 95% reduction in volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Carlos Hugo Caramelo, the Technical and Sales Manager at Antilhas, added, "We are proud to introduce our new product, which is the outcome of a collaborative project. We have grown our portfolio with packaging that goes beyond its core function. We're promoting the closure of the circular economy by adopting EB printing technology and incorporating post-consumer materials, which has a positive impact on the planet. Antilhas has consistently been committed to developing innovations and technologies for packaging, and the stand-up pouch PCR, a 100% Polyethylene (PE) monomaterial package, is one more step in this direction. By using raw materials from recycling, we support the circular economy process. We're pleased to offer our customers a sustainable solution that is aligned with Antilhas values."

According to Yuri Tomina, Leader of Cazoolo, the innovation ecosystem facilitated the production of unique and valuable solutions for the market. "We've built a great project together that enabled all stages of the circular economy. The packaging that was designed combines two essential concepts of circularity: a monomaterial solution, a characteristic that facilitates the mechanical recycling process and thereby allows its recovery after use and return to the cycle as raw material, and the inclusion of recycled content (PCR), completely fulfilling Organosolví's demand for more sustainable packaging for its product," he states.

Disposal of packaging

In order to encourage the final consumer to become part of this proposed circularity, the packaging will provide instructions on how to properly dispose of it. It can be done in any nearby selective collection system in bins identified by being in red (plastics) or in the dry fraction.

The Solví Group also has a partnership with the startup Coletando, which has ecopoints spread across a number of cities throughout Brazil. When discarded in the Coletando ecopoints, the recovered polyethylene packaging can be returned to Braskem, which in turn will transform the packaging into post-consumer recycled resins and, later, into new products, playing an important role in the circular economy.

 Wenew: Braskem's circularity ecosystem

The post-consumer recycled resin used in this packaging is part of Wenew, Braskem's circular economy ecosystem that ranges from circular solutions (resins and chemicals produced by the company that contain recycled content in their composition) to technologies and educational initiatives on conscious consumption and proper disposal that support Braskem in its journey towards the circular economy. These initiatives are represented by Wemove, a variant term that represents the concept of collectivity that shapes Braskem's way of thinking and doing business to promote the circular economy.

Cazoolo: Circular Packaging Design Lab

Created by Braskem in an effort to provide collective intelligence to the sustainable development of packaging, Cazoolo has an infrastructure at the disposal of the production chain with a prototyping workshop to co-create new packaging and business solutions. The Lab's focus is to produce packaging that mitigates environmental impact, is aligned with designs for recyclability, packaging system optimization, reusable packaging, packaging and refill systems, and packaging redesign through a circular consumer journey. One of its projects is Ready Packaging, a program that connects brand owners to sustainable transformer/converter packaging solutions ready to be implemented.