Braskem Inspires Environmental Sustainability and Community Engagement with Mural Arts Philadelphia Partnership and Closed Loop Plastic Recycling

PHILADELPHIA, April 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Braskem (B3: BRKM3, BRKM5 and BRKM6; NYSE: BAK; LATIBEX: XBRK), the largest thermoplastics resins producer in the Americas and the worldwide leader in bio-polymers, announced today a new "closed-loop" plastic recycling partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia. Together, Braskem and Mural Arts Philadelphia will transform plastic supplies used every day in the mural-making process to resins and then convert into new plastic products such as new buckets to be used by artists and constituents.

Joe Paolucci, Braskem U.S. Director of Sustainability, stated, "Braskem is honored to be partnering with Mural Arts Philadelphia to inspire civic engagement and environmental sustainability through inspirational public art projects.  Our new closed-loop recycling program is designed to support local artists and communities in magnifying the vibrant voices of Philadelphia through public art, all while educating people on the benefits of closed-loop recycling to create more sustainable lifestyles."

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation's largest public art program and engages communities in up to 100 public art projects each year. The organization collaborates with community members to imagine and lead public art projects that build social capital, develop a sense of communal ownership over space, represent diversity, and empower people to drive positive change in their city and everyday lives.

The new partnership between Braskem and Mural Arts Philadelphia will benefit the environment and promote sustainability, through plastic life-cycle management. Braskem will coordinate the collection, transportation and reprocessing of Mural Arts Philadelphia's plastic art supplies which will be used in the production of "next-life" recycled products such as new art supplies or plastic park benches.  Plastic art supplies are normally purchased by Mural Arts, so the partnership will off-set costs, benefit the environment and allow Mural Arts additional resources to invest in its programs and projects.

Jane Golden, Mural Arts Philadelphia Executive Director, commented, "Mural Arts has done many projects, in partnership with many wonderful Philadelphia-based organizations, to educate and engage the public about environmental sustainability, including our current Trash Academy project in South Philadelphia, so we are thrilled to practice what we preach through this new collaboration with Braskem. Our artists and constituents create up to 100 new public artworks each year and go through many supplies, so our partnership with Braskem presents an exciting opportunity to find new ways to recycle plastics and to do our part for the environment."

The closed-loop plastic recycling program with Braskem launches with Mural Arts Philadelphia's Sweetbriar project, which is being led by renowned artists James Burns and Nathaniel Lee. The closed-loop plastic recycling art projects will also include public paint days, where members of the community can come participate in creating the murals.  

ABOUT MURAL ARTS PHILADELPHIA

Mural Arts Philadelphia is the nation's largest public art program, dedicated to the belief that art ignites change. For over 30 years, Mural Arts has united artists and communities through a collaborative and equitable process, creating nearly 4,000 artworks that have transformed public spaces and individual lives. Mural Arts aims to empower people, stimulate dialogue, and build bridges to understanding with projects that attract artists from Philadelphia and around the world, and with programs that focus on youth education, restorative justice, mental health and wellness, and public art and its preservation. Popular mural tours offer a firsthand glimpse into the inspiring stories behind Mural Arts' iconic and unparalleled collection, which has earned Philadelphia worldwide recognition as the "City of Murals." For more information, call 215-685-0750 or visit muralarts.org. Follow along on social media: @muralarts on Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat, MuralArtsPhiladelphia on Facebook, and phillymuralarts on YouTube.

ABOUT BRASKEM

With a human-oriented global vision of the future, Braskem strives every day to improve people's lives by creating sustainable solutions with chemicals and plastics. Braskem is the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas and the leading producer of biopolymers in the world, creating more environmental-friendly, intelligent and sustainable solutions through chemicals and plastics. Braskem exports to clients in approximately 100 countries and operates 41 industrial units, which are located in Brazil, United States, Germany and Mexico, the latter in partnership with the Mexican company Idesa. For more information, visit www.braskem.com.

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 six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and an Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh. For more information, visit www.braskem.com/usa.

ABOUT BLUEVISION

Braskem's Bluevision is a platform that shows the capacity of the human being to actively and positively influence the course of the planet through their actions and everyday lives. For more information about Bluevision please visit: www.bluevisionbraskem.com

Braskem on social media:
www.facebook.com/BraskemGlobal                                                     
www.linkedin.com/company/braskem                                             
www.twitter.com/BraskemSA                                                             

Mural Arts Philadelphia on social media:
www.facebook.com/MuralArtsPhiladelphia 
https://www.instagram.com/muralarts/ 
https://twitter.com/muralarts

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SOURCE Braskem