Fabiana Quiroga*

Without a doubt, plastic has driven major advances in our modern life. From solutions for cultivating and preserving food to applications that improve urban mobility and infrastructure, polymers are found in practically all aspects of our daily lives. 

Given its vast potential, however, the material could be adopted in many other markets, except for one important issue: its disposal after use. A recent study conducted by the University of California, Santa Barbara shows that humankind already has produced some 8.3 billion tons of plastics since the 1950s, when polymers began to be used by manufacturers on a large scale. Of this volume, around 70% became trash and ended up in landfills or the environment, which has created serious problems for ecosystems. 

Note that most of the negative perceptions associated with plastic are due to its improper disposal after use. So, if recycling were well developed and applied, we would have a different scenario. Today, we know that post-consumer plastics, when transformed again into resins, can be used to make new products. Moreover, life cycle analyses (LCA) reveal that polymers are the most sustainable option for various applications in manufacturing, agribusiness, infrastructure and people's daily lives.  

Making comprehensive recycling a reality requires a joint effort by the entire chain (including consumers) to promote this market and increase the value of recycled products. Today, in Brazil, only 23% of discarded plastic is recycled. 

As the largest thermoplastic resin producer in the Americas, Braskem believes that its role includes working to support the development of this market by creating a circular economy for its products and paving the way for its solutions to be adopted in areas where before solid waste generation was an obstacle.

That is why we created, in 2015, the Wecycle Platform, which forges partnerships with brand owners, converters, recyclers and cooperatives to support the development of new recycled products. The initiative includes actions to develop the recycling chain, improve the quality of processes, support the technical reliability of partners and, lastly, implement social responsibility actions. The effort is so important that, in 2017, it evolved to become a corporate area called Recycling & Wecycle Platform. 

We also have our two innovation and technology centers (in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul) that develop solutions to help expand plastics recycling and to improve the quality of recycled resins so that they regain properties similar to those of virgin resins. Innovation and technology investments, by the way, were what made possible the development of high-quality products made from recycled resins that are used in the projects launched by the Wecycle Platform. One case study is Embalixo, Brazil's leading trash bag producer, which began making premium bags from post-consumer plastic waste. Some studies also suggest that plastics, if they were created with recycling in mind, could be reused more than once, thereby significantly reducing solid waste generation. 

The WWF Living Planet Report 2016, which was drafted by the World Wildlife Fund, estimates that one and half planet Earths are required to produce, regenerate and absorb everything that we consume today. The current equation just does not function. That presents a very worrisome scenario. And society, which already understands that the problem needs to be resolved, has been demanding actions that help solve this complex situation. In keeping with its corporate purpose, Braskem will continue to develop sustainable solutions to meet this growing demand for more sustainable products. 

*Fabiana Quiroga is director of the Recycling & Wecycle Platform area at Braskem.