Braskem is today holding the launching ceremony of the Cornerstone of the Green Polyethylene Project in the Petrochemical Center of Triunfo, Rio Grande do Sul, with the presence of governor Yeda Crusius and the Chief of Staff Department, Dilma Rousseff, among other authorities. The event symbolizes the start of the works of the first industrial unit in the world to use sugarcane ethanol in the commercial scale production of ethene and polyethylene from 100% renewable source. 

 "The implementation of this project confirms the commitment taken up by Braskem to contribute toward development of the petrochemical sector of Brazil and the state of Rio Grande do Sul", states the company president, Bernardo Gradin. "This investment is part of our growth strategy with creation of value and is in line with the goal of making the company an international reference in the development of green polymers", he adds.

The total investment will be approximately R$ 500 million. The project foresees the construction of an ethene plant - raw material for polyethylene, from ethanol. The unit will have capacity to produce 200 thousand tons/annum of ethene, which will be converted into equivalent volume of polyethylene in industrial units already existing in the center of Triunfo itself. The commissioning of the new plant is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2010 and start of the commercial operation for the beginning of 2011.

The Green Polymer project is inserted in the strategy for access to the new competitive sources of raw material, in line with the company’s sustainability vision. In addition, it contributes toward sustainable development of the society, since the green plastic removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits throughout its lifecycle, from the planting of sugarcane to post-consumption recycling.

Braskem has been establishing, since last year, a series of partnerships with renowned national and international customers, mainly from Europe, United States and Japan, interested in reinforcing the association of their brands with the concept of sustainability. Note the agreements signed with Toyota Tsusho, trading company of the Toyota group, and Shiseido, renowned manufacturer of cosmetics for the high-standard segment. The potential demand already identified for Green PE is about 600 thousand tons/annum, three times the capacity of the new plant.
 
Besides the environmental aspects, an additional stimulus to the use of green polymer is in the fact of its having application characteristics and properties identical to that of traditional plastic, which allows conversion plants to use the entire current manufacturing complex to process the renewable source resin. The Green PE has application in markets like automobile, toys, blown packs for foods and hygiene products and injected packs for home utilities.
 
The pioneering of this project results from the priority attributed by the company to technological innovation and autonomy, important factors of its strategy for growth and development of its chain of production. "This priority is the result of the dedication and combined skills of talented Brazilians, who through their work in the Braskem Technology and Innovation Center and in the Basic Petrochemical Unit of the company placed Brazil in the forefront of Green PE production in the world", states Gradin. The relevance of the project has been recognized through several national and international awards, like the Environmental Management Award from the Plastic Environmental Conference, held in the United States in the beginning of this year.

The plant being constructed in Rio Grande do Sul represents an opportunity for development of the ethanol chain of production in the state, with great potential for creation of jobs, income and tax revenue. The Green PE project will use up about 470 million liters of ethanol/annum, volume that will initially be acquired from other regions, transported by cabotage up to the Santa Clara terminal, in Triunfo, and from there transferred to the plant by pipes.

The investment in the Green PE Project is part of a new cycle of investment by Braskem in Rio Grande do Sul of about R$ 1 billion in the next three years. "The initiative shows the confidence that Braskem and our stockholders have in the growth of the Country and of the State", states Gradin.