To show how combining the smart use of technologies, the universe of plastics and creativity is a growing trend for more sustainable apparel, Braskem once again hits the catwalks at this year's São Paulo Fashion Week, to be held from March 13 to 17.The Americas' largest thermoplastic resins producer and the designer label À La Garçonne, led by Fábio Souza and Alexandre Herchcovitch, have forged a partnership for the fabrication of exclusive pieces made using 3D printingand Green Plastics for use in their collection to debut on March 16.

Some of the collection's bracelets and buttons will be fully personalized and fabricated using the 3D printersupplied by Made In Space, Braskem's partner in the project "Printing the Future,"in which its biobased plastic designed for 3D printingin zero gravity was carried to the International Space Station last year.Green Plastic, which was developed with Brazilian technology, is made from sugarcane. Its main competitive advantage is the contribution it makes to reducing greenhouse gasesin the airsince sugarcane captures carbon gas during its growth.

Now in its first fashion application, Green Plastic is fully aligned with the proposal of À La Garçonne, whose creation was guided by the concepts of environmental preservation, recycling, upcycling and reuse."The possibility of making small custom parts lends total freedom to the creation process.The material also accepts any shape or form and is made from a natural resource," said Alexandre Herchcovitch.

"Our goal is to show you really can combine sustainable ideas with a passion for fashion.Both 3D printing and Green Plastic help to expand the boundaries of creativity and break the waste cycle in the industry, given the possibility of fabrication on-demand and use of renewable resources, with the possibility of recycling.For these reasons, we believe that, more than ever, plastic is in fashion," said Claudia Bocciardi, marketing director at Braskem.

On March 16, Braskem also will participate in a discussionon fashion, sustainability and 3D printing in the talk "Fashion, Design, Innovation: Exponential Impacts," which is part of the programming of the Greenhouse Project, a Braskem sponsored SPFW initiative to promote reflectionon the future and doing things differently.At the event, Alexandre Herchcovitch; Claudia Cappra, renewable chemicals commercial director at Braskem; and Matthew Napoli, vice-president of Made In Space, will debate how plastic can make a positive contribution to a more sustainable fashion industry.

With an agenda to provoke discussionabout the industry, design, new materials, processes, technologies and ideas, the talks organized by the Greenhouse Project will be held until March 17, at the Bienal Foundation.The purpose is to encourage new ways of creating, producing and distributing. You can find the complete agendaon the website ffw.com.br/spfw  and on the SPFW profiles on social networks.

For those interested in learning more about how plastics and 3D printing contribute to sustainability, Braskem built a space to welcome visitors at SPFW N43, where they can see firsthand a 3D printing machine in operation using Braskem's Green Plastic.

Braskem at SPFW N43
This is the second time that Braskem has participated in São Paulo Fashion Week.In edition N41, the company supported the show of designer João Pimenta and brought to the catwalks the elite Brazilian parathletes Silvânia Costa, Mateus Evangelista, Claudiney Santos and Elizabeth Rodrigues, who are on the Brazilian National Parathletics Team.The soundtrack was performed by the musicians and plastic instruments of the Plastic Orchestra of the Bahia State Youth Orchestra Centers (NEOJIBA), a project that coordinates, through music, sustainability and socio-productive inclusion.

About Green Plastic
I'm greenTMbiobased polyethylene is made from sugarcane.Its greatest advantage is helping to reduce greenhouse gases in the air by capturing carbon gas during its production.It also features the same properties as traditional polyethylene, which means manufacturers do not have to modify machinery and it is 100% recyclable.Braskem's Green Plastic plant has annual production capacity of 200 kta. 

About Braskem
Braskem is the largest thermoplastic resin producer in the Americas, with annual production volume of over 20 million tons, which includes other chemicals and basic petrochemicals, and annual revenue of R$54 billion.Driven by its purpose of improving people's lives and creating sustainable solutions in chemicals and plastics, Braskem operates in more than 70 countries, has around 8,000 Team Members and operates 41 industrial units in Brazil, the United States, Germany and Mexico, the latter in partnership with the Mexican company Idesa.