In line with its commitment to sustainable development , Braskem, the world's largest biopolymer producer, announces the renewal of its partnership with Altar , a France-based startup specializing in the development of microorganism lineages in automated cultivation systems. Forged two years ago, the partnership strengthens the company's strategy for the research and development of renewable chemicals. 

According to Iuri Gouvea, Biotechnology coordinator at Braskem, the technology shared by Altar helps to automate the cultivation of microorganisms without human intervention, enabling the development of important characteristics that would not be possible with manual techniques. "Microorganisms function like biofactories and have presented more sustainable routes for the chemicals and plastic industry. The partnership with Altar complements our biotechnology proposals and supports the research and development of more innovative and sustainable solutions for our value chain," said Gouvea. 

In the opinion of Simon Trancart, CEO of Altar, the agreement between the two companies makes possible advances in very important tools for the development of biotechnology in the world. "Altar has been collaborating with Braskem over the last two years as a facilitator of its metabolic engineering projects and we have nothing but high expectations for the multi-project partnership with a global leader in sustainable chemicals," said Trancart. 

One pillar of Braskem's sustainable development strategy is building a portfolio of products made from renewable raw materials . As a leader in this industry, the company, which already sells green polyethylene and green EVA, both made from sugarcane, believes in the potential of biopolymers as a way to capture carbon, thereby helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

The work in partnership with Altar improves Braskem's metabolic engineering capacity at its Renewable Chemicals Research Center in Campinas, São Paulo, as well as at its Research and Development Centers in Triunfo, Rio Grande do Sul and in Pittsburgh, PA and Boston, MA. "Renewing this partnership will allow us to work with a wide range of sets of projects and helps to reinforce our innovative position in the chemistry of the future," Gouvea concluded. 

About Altar 
Located in Evry, France, Altar, formerly Heurisko, is a private biotechnology company that develops microbial strains using a proprietary fluidic platform for the automated cultivation of cells. Altar's exclusive technology harnesses natural selection for the development of robust strains with enhanced performance. Altar provides services to biotechnology companies and develops proprietary strains working independently or in collaboration with partners. 

Media contacts:
Simon Trancart (CEO) -  +33 (0) 6 88 28 42 35 -  simon.trancart@altar.bio