ISE index considers the open capital companies with shares negotiated at Bovespa that are committed with sustainable development

Braskem, petrochemical company and leader in the Latin American market, was one of the 28 companies chosen to figure in the first ISE Índice de Sustentabilidade Empresarial (Entrepreneurial sustainability index), focused on the financial market. Created by the São Paulo stock market in partnership with professional entities involved with the capital market, besides Fundação Getulio Vargas, Ethos Institute and Environment Ministry, the index aims at offering investors the option of a list composed by shares of companies which are committed with social responsibility and entrepreneurial sustainability. Furthermore, the index also has the objective of promoting and motivating other companies to search for good entrepreneurial practices.

"The inclusion of Braskem in the ISE proves the market recognition that the company is improving in the questions related to entrepreneurial sustainability", says José Carlos Grubisich, president of Braskem. He reminds that the importance of this issue for the company has been present since its creation and that this has been explicit in its public commitment since then.

In order to establish the index, that considers companies from different sectors, approximately 150 companies were analyzed. Only the companies that have a high profitability index and that respond to the criteria of sustainability referenced by the ISE council were considered. Braskem and Copesul from the petrochemical sector were the only ones to meet the requirements.

For José Marcos Treiger, director of Investors relation at Braskem, to be included among the 28 companies listed in this ranking shows clearly that the company is considering the practice of very important concepts that shows its responsibility in the business scenario.

Treiger explains that this is a world wide trend considered by the investors of companies socially responsible and sustainable, because in long terms these companies generate more value for shareholders. This is what the experience with the Dow Jones index of sustainability, the first of its kind, has been indicating since its creation in 1999.

The focus of Braskem on good environmental and social practices, and on continuous investments in its installations, has made possible a better Performance, what can be observed with the reduction in more than 80% in the accidents rate if compared to 2002. This fact places the company as a reference in the international petrochemical sector. Among these positive results we can also mention a reduction higher than 40% in the effluent emission and a reduction of more than 45% in the waste generation. In the social area, Braskem invests regularly in practices related to environmental education, Social inclusion and culture.