Braskem, a global petrochemical company that develops sustainable chemical and plastic solutions to improve people's lives, has completed the sale of circular polyethylene (PE), produced through chemical recycling, to the Copobras Group.
This marks the first time the company has commercialized such circular resin in South America. The material will be used by Copobras to produce flexible packaging for the pet food segment.
Braskem's circular PE, like all other circular products in its portfolio, is part of the Wenew line, which aims to further promote the concept of a circular economy within the chemical and plastics production chain. The raw material used to produce this circular resin was supplied by Neste , a Finnish refining company. In 2024, the two companies signed an agreement for the supply of circular and bio-circular feedstocks for the production of resins and chemicals.
"This is our first chemical recycling case in South America. We had the feedstock from our partnership with Neste, our role in producing the circular resin, and the sale to Copobras. This is a major milestone for the company in advancing sustainable development and realizing the circular economy," said Pier Pesce, Business Development Manager at Braskem South America.
Chemical recycling-based circularity is already recognized by Anvisa (Brazil's Health Regulatory Agency), and the process produces high-purity monomers that are indistinguishable from virgin-origin monomers. Therefore, the materials fully comply with applicable regulations for use in food-contact packaging without requiring specific authorization. This represents a significant advancement and differentiator, as it enables a wide range of new applications that mechanical recycling struggles to meet due to technical and regulatory challenges.
This first sale in South America solidifies Braskem's initiatives in chemical recycling and the development of an increasingly sustainable product portfolio. Since 2021, the company has invested in this area through research into technology development and the acquisition of circular feedstocks produced via pyrolysis. Additionally, the circular PE supplied to the Copobras Group is ISCC Plus certified , reinforcing the product's quality and circularity.
"The development process of Braskem's circular PE is of the highest quality, and we are very proud to be the first to use this resin. Solutions like this must become increasingly present in the market to ensure sustainable standards across the sector. This is a crucial path to meet consumer and brand owner demands for more sustainable products," said Morgana Bon, Product Engineering Manager at the Copobras Group.
Braskem's circular economy strategy focuses on developing products and solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) . This includes creating technologies and commercializing products derived from both mechanical and chemical recycling, consolidating the company's role in the circular economy and expanding the Wenew portfolio with solutions that meet customer needs.
The Wenew resin portfolio also stands out for reducing carbon emissions by up to 48% compared to conventional virgin resins. The new circular PE joins the portfolio as another key contributor toward Braskem's circularity goal-to expand sales of products with recycled content to 1 million tons by 2030.
