Braskem EVA Recycling Technology Research Partnership Awarded RD&D Grant from the REMADE Institute

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 Braskem’s polymer recycling technology research partnership has been awarded a $504,000 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 innovating a new pathway for recycling ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) as a sustainable materials solution for the footwear industry. The project is a partnership between Braskem America, adidas, Allbirds, as well as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). REMADE is the first institute in the U.S. dedicated to accelerating the nation’s transition to a Circular Economy.

Kimberly McLoughlin, Principal Engineer, Braskem, stated, “Braskem and REMADE share a vision for building a more sustainable future, all built upon the creation of a carbon neutral circular economy. With a mutual passion for R&D-driven innovation, we are creating the next generation of manufacturing and materials science technologies. We commend REMADE for its leadership in effectively bridging government and industry to accelerate the path forward to a more sustainable economy and society.”

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 ecosystem. 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.