Grant Award will Fund an Innovative New Pathway
for Multi-layer Plastic Packaging Circularity
RD&D Partnership Project includes Braskem
America, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Dow Chemical, and
Aquapak
One of three REMADE awards recently granted to
Braskem
Braskem (B3: BRKM3, BRKM5 and BRKM6; NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX:
XBRK) (“Company”), the largest polyolefins producer in the
Americas and leading producer of biopolymers in the world, today
announced its polymer recycling technology research partnership has
been awarded a $671,000 Research, Demonstration, and Development
(RD&D) grant from the Reducing Embodied Energy and Decreasing
Emissions (REMADE) Institute, a public-private partnership
established by the United States Department of Energy (DOE). The
winning RD&D project is focused on new advanced manufacturing
technology to produce sustainable and recyclable multilayer plastic
films with outstanding properties for challenging applications. The
project is a partnership between Braskem America, the University of
Massachusetts Lowell, Dow Chemical, and Aquapak, all of which are
providing additional foundational project funding. REMADE is the
first institute in the U.S. dedicated to accelerating the nation’s
transition to a Circular Economy.
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“Braskem is honored to have been selected among this partnership
of incredibly talented innovators who are all committed to having a
positive impact on our planet and our industry,” said Amanda Zani,
Technology Platform Manager, Braskem. “As a leading producer of
advanced polymer solutions in the United States, with a commitment
to significantly expanding the availability of sustainably focused
offerings, Braskem firmly believes that this project has incredible
potential for advancing our commitment to a more circular economy,
which also includes Design for Recycling technology.”
Braskem RD&D Partnership Project Awarded Funding by
REMADE:
Remaking of Recyclable Multilayer Barrier Films
- This research project seeks to develop new technologies such as
a unique poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVOH) polymer, ultrasound-assisted
extrusion, and water-based material separation to create
high-performance films that are easily separable. In collaboration
with material suppliers, the University of Massachusetts Lowell
aims to reduce packaging material consumption and bolster recycling
efforts. The two-year project's deliverables include processing
protocols for recyclable films and separation methods via aqueous
dissolution. This project positions to reshape the packaging
industry's economic landscape by facilitating 100% material
recovery.
Meg Sobkowicz Kline, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Professor in the Plastics Engineering Department commented, “Our
advanced film processing and recovery approach will enable low-cost
separation and recovery of film components for more circular
packaging. We are excited to work with Braskem and other industry
partners to deliver these high-barrier multilayer films with
inherent recycling advantages. It is critical that major materials
suppliers and converters support and participate in this research
so that innovations can be rapidly translated to industry.”
The project is well aligned with Braskem’s ambition to expand
its portfolio to include 300,000 tons of thermoplastic resins and
chemicals with recycled content by 2025 and 1 million tons of such
products by 2030. In addition, Braskem seeks to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions in scopes 1 and 2 by 15% in 2030 and achieve carbon
neutrality by 2050.
The REMADE Institute enables the early-stage applied research
and development of key industrial platform technologies that could
dramatically reduce the embodied energy and carbon emissions
associated with industrial-scale materials production and
processing. By focusing its efforts on the technical and economic
barriers that prevent greater material recycling, recovery,
remanufacturing, and reuse, the REMADE Institute seeks to motivate
industry investments to advance technology development and support
the U.S. manufacturing eco-system. The U.S. Department of Energy
and REMADE selected 14 projects in October 2023 with a combined
total of $9.8 million in research and development funding. Since
the Institute's founding in 2017, REMADE has launched or selected
nearly 100 R&D projects, representing a total combined value of
nearly $100 million.
The circular economy is a sustainable model that aims to
minimize waste by keeping resources in use for as long as possible,
extracting their maximum value while in use, and then recovering
and regenerating products and materials at the end of a resource’s
life cycle. Not only does this reduce environmental impact, but it
also offers new business opportunities and economic benefits,
supporting innovation, job creation, and global
competitiveness.
REMADE funded research projects seek to innovate
industrial-scale materials production and processing, achieving
multiple positive impacts among the following Target Technical
Performance Metrics (TPMs), including:
- Reducing primary feedstock consumed
- Reducing secondary feedstock energy
- Increasing embodied energy efficiency
- Reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
- Facilitating cross-industry reuse
- Balancing cost and energy party
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, manufacturing
accounts for 25% of U.S. energy consumption at a cost of
approximately $150 billion. Based on data from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, industry is the single largest
contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the nation, at 30%. By
embracing the circular economy, REMADE’s investments ensure that
America’s manufacturing sector remains globally competitive while
moving the nation closer to meeting the clean energy goals set
forth by the Biden-Harris Administration including achieving a
net-zero-emissions economy by 2050.
Detailed information on all REMADE projects can be found at
www.remadeinstitute.org.
ABOUT REMADE
Founded in 2017, REMADE is a 167-member public-private
partnership established and funded in part by the U.S. Department
of Energy's Office of Advanced Materials and Manufacturing
Technologies (AMMTO) with an initial investment of $140 million.
REMADE is the only national institute focused entirely on
developing innovative technologies to accelerate the U.S.'s
transition to a Circular Economy. In partnership with industry,
academia, trade organizations, and national laboratories, REMADE
enables early-stage applied research and development that will
create jobs, dramatically reduce embodied energy and greenhouse gas
emissions, and increase the supply and use of recycled materials.
For more information about REMADE (Reducing EMbodied Energy And
Decreasing Emissions), visit www.remadeinstitute.org.
ABOUT BRASKEM
With a strategy centered on people and sustainability, Braskem
is engaged in contributing to the value chain to strengthen the
Circular Economy. Braskem’s almost 9,000 team members dedicate
themselves every day to improving people's lives through
sustainable solutions in chemicals and plastics. With its corporate
DNA rooted in innovation, Braskem offers a comprehensive portfolio
of plastic resins and chemical products for diverse industries,
such as food packaging, construction, manufacturing, automotive,
agribusiness, health, and hygiene, and more. With 40 industrial
units in Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Germany, Braskem
exports its products to clients in over 70 countries.
Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of
Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the
leading producer of polypropylene in the United States, with five
production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania, and West
Virginia, an Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh, and a
New Renewable Innovation Center in Boston focused on leveraging
groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and advanced
materials. For more information, visit www.braskem.com/usa.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains projections and other
forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) regarding future
events. These statements reflect Braskem’s current beliefs and
expectations with respect to Braskem’s business, the economy and
other future conditions and are based on assumptions, are subject
to risk and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time.
Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained
in such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could
cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking
statements contained herein include, without limitation: (i) the
continuation of restrictions related to the COVID -19 Pandemic or
the continuing effects of the Pandemic; (ii) the contraction or
lack of growth in the market segments in which Braskem competes and
in which its products are sold (iii) unexpected delays in
commissioning, (iv) increased competition from imports or in the
export markets, (v) inability to anticipate future market trends
and the future needs of Braskem’s customers, (vi) the impact of
natural disasters on Braskem’s facility and its suppliers and (vii)
other factors detailed in documents Braskem files from time to time
with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking
statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995.
Braskem on English social
media:
REMADE on social media:
www.facebook.com/BraskemGlobal
www.linkedin.com/company/remade-institute
www.linkedin.com/company/braskem
www.twitter.com/REMADEInstitute
www.twitter.com/Braskem
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231120148246/en/
For press information:
Braskem North America Stacy Torpey Communications
Director 1 (215) 841 3194 stacy.torpey@braskem.com
REMADE Institute Megan Connor Murphy Director, Marketing
and Communications 1 (585) 339-8379
mconnormurphy@remadeinstitute.org
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