São Paulo, July XX, 2016 - The city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ) is hosting, for the first time, the Odebrecht Braskem Design Challenge, a program among college students that encourages new talent to develop innovative applications with plastic in urban furniture, taking into account criteria such as modernity, sustainability, practicality, and sophistication. The winning items will be used in public living areas of Porto Maravilha, a region that is undergoing a revitalization process and aims to offer society a sense of belonging and appropriation of the public space.

With the theme "Urban Furniture for Spaces in Transformation," students are required to work in two categories: "Food and Artistic Presentations" and "Leisure and Work." Design and architecture students from the following institutions were selected: Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ), State University of Rio de Janeiro (UERJ), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), and Fluminense Federal University (UFF).

"At the end of the program, Porto Maravilha should receive unique plastic items that mix functionality and design, inspired by Rio de Janeiro, as well as its beauty and culture, turn them into points of reference and identity of the place, collaborating aesthetically to the urban landscape," said Mônica Evangelista, Polypropylene Commercial Manager of Braskem.

Over four months - the period for development of the projects - the students will be guided by mentors Augusto Seibel, Daniel Kraichete and Marco Maia and will stay in an office located at the Port. In addition to being trained with technical seminars and training on the application of Braskem products, the students will receive information on the Life Cycle Analysis of the products, materials and processes, design trends, entrepreneurship, etc.

In December, a jury composed of representatives from Braskem and Odebrecht, as well as a team of experts, will select one winning project per category, which will receive an award of R$15,000.

In the latest editions of the Odebrecht Braskem Design Challenge, results showed creativity and functionality. The furniture produced in 2013, for example, is now featured in the living area of the São Paulo Odebrecht Building. In 2014, students were required to create plastic furniture for schools in two categories: Kindergarten and Primary/Secondary Education. In 2015, participants were invited to develop furniture to decorate the living spaces of the projects of Odebrecht Realizações Imobiliárias, located in the South Zone of São Paulo.

Coordination and Mentoring of the 4th edition of the Odebrecht Braskem Design Challenge

Augusto Seibel - Master in Design from PUC-Rio and a graduate in Industrial Design from the same university. He worked alongside renowned designers, having responsibilities such as project creation, development and management. Seibel has participated in international exhibitions and awards and is the author of the study "The issue of packaging and its relationship to sustainability."

Daniel Kraichete - Industrial Designer, Master in Transportation Engineering from COPPE - UFRJ. He served for five years as Director-General of the Rio Design Center, being responsible for the coordination of various projects related to innovation management and insertion of design as a competitive advantage for micro and small enterprises in the state Rio de Janeiro. He is currently dedicated to curatorial projects in design and innovation, as well as the Directorate-General of the Creative District of Porto Maravilha.

Marco Maia - Master in Design from the Domus Academy (Milan, Italy), Maia has a postgraduate degree in Marketing from Centro Universitário da Cidade - Rio de Janeiro. In the past 16 years, he has been involved with projects in the areas of Design and Marketing, some of which have been featured in international exhibitions and awards. A Professor of Trends and Product Design at PUC-Rio, Maia has international experience and specific courses in design.

About Braskem

Braskem is the largest manufacturer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas, with an annual output of over 20 million metric tons, including production of other basic chemicals and petrochemicals, with R$54 billion in annual revenue. With the aim of improving the lives of people, creating sustainable solutions in chemistry and plastics, Braskem is present in over 70 countries, with 8,000 members, and operates 40 industrial units located in Brazil, the United States, Germany, and Mexico - the latter in partnership with the Mexico-based company Idesa.

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For more information, please contact:

CDN Comunicação

Priscila Ventura - +55 11 3643-2744 - priscila.ventura@cdn.com.br

Ana Beatriz Paschoal - +55 11 3643-2737 - anabeatriz.paschoal@cdn.com.br

Priscila Nishimori - +55 11 3643-2802 - priscila.nishimori@cdn.com.br