Braskem, the world's largest biopolymer producer, has signed a partnership with Atlhetica Nutrition, a producer of sports nutrition supplements, for the use of I'm greenTM plastic in the packaging of its recently launched product line Best Vegan, a vegan protein distributed in Brazil and in other Latin American countries, such as Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Mexico, as well as in China.
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This is Green Polyethylene's first application in this segment, and the partnership expands the list of over 150 Braskem partners worldwide that already use Green Plastic in their packaging. In Brazil, in addition to Atlhetica Nutrition, Green Plastic is used by companies such as Cafe Favorito, Moinho do Nordeste, Caravelas, Guarany and Unilever.
Green Plastic is made from sugarcane, a renewable resource that removes carbon dioxide from the air during its production, which helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With the same properties, performance and versatility as conventional polyethylene, the biobased resin also is recyclable and a drop-in substitute in existing plastics and recycling chains.
Lucia Ino, renewable chemicals account manager at Braskem, explains that both the production of Green Polyethylene and the partnership with Atlhetica Nutrition are part of a series of global initiatives that the company has adopted to foster the Circular Economy. "The industrial sector is undergoing very important and necessary changes. The use of renewable raw materials is an essential step in meeting demands sustainably, while minimizing environmental impacts. That is why we are dedicating more and more effort to research and development to offer the value chain a comprehensive portfolio of sustainable products, and Green Plastic is one of them," she said.
The Best Vegan product line of Atlhetica Nutrition was launched in April at the Arnold Sports Festival South America in São Paulo, and is currently being showcased at the 15th International Trade Fair of Organic and Agroecology Products at the Anhembi Events Center in São Paulo, running June 5-8. The packaging, which is composed 70% of Braskem's Green Polyethylene, was developed in partnership with Emplas, a company specializing in the production of blow-molded plastic packaging for the chemical industry.
"Atlhetica Nutrition already adopts various environmental actions, such as a wastewater treatment station and waste management. Making our packaging sustainable was a challenge, and the opportunity to partner with Braskem to launch this sustainable concept was the missing link in this mission. We're so excited about the partnership and the repercussion was so positive that we are changing around 60% of our packaging, and soon all our packaging will be Green Plastic," said Eduardo Mondini, Marketing director of Atlhetica Nutrition.
