Braskem to use Neste’s sustainable feedstocks for polymers and chemicals

The output will be sold in South America under Braskem’s Wenew brand.

A braskem processing facility in South America under a clear, blue sky.
Processing of the renewable and recycled feedstocks from Neste will take place at Braskem’s facilities in South America.
Photo courtesy of Braskem

Finland-based petrochemical company Neste Corp. and Brazil-based thermoplastic resin producer Braskem have reached an agreement for the supply of renewable and recycled feedstocks for polymers and chemicals production.

According to the companies, Braskem products based on these feedstocks are expected to be available on the market starting from the fourth quarter of this year and will mainly be sold in South America and included in Braskem’s Wenew product portfolio.

“This is a very important moment for the industry,” says Fabiana Quiroga, director of circular economy at Braskem in South America. “We’re introducing a new solution that will adhere to the industry’s high quality standards while ensuring sustainability right from the start of the value chain. This partnership with Neste is a significant milestone in our journey towards a circular economy.”

Braskem says it will sell polymer resins and chemicals made from Neste’s more sustainable feedstock, Neste RE, which is produced using chemically recycled plastic scrap. Additionally, Neste produces feedstock using processed renewable raw materials such as used cooking oil or residues from vegetable oil processing.

“We are excited to welcome Braskem as our partner in advancing the transformation of the plastic sand chemicals industry towards more sustainable solutions,” says Jeroen Verhoeven, commercial director for polymers and chemicals at Neste. “We are looking forward to seeing our Neste RE solution in action in South America, reducing he dependence on virgin fossil feedstock in the production of polymers and chemicals.”

An International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) Plus mass balance approach will be applied to integrate the new feedstocks into Braskem’s existing processes. Neste says both enable manufacturing of products that are safe and suitable for sensitive applications such as food contact packaging, for example.