Braskem (São Paulo / Brazil; www.braskem.com.br) and Solegear Bioplastic Technologies (Vancouver / Canada; www.solegear.ca) have announced a three-year partnership to produce and distribute a series of household recycling containers. They will be produced with Braskem's "I'm green" PE and distributed under Solegear's "good natured" brand (www.mygoodnatured.com). I'm green PE is a material developed from Brazilian sugar cane, which can be a substitute for conventional PE. Braskem's analysis shows that the environmental impact of using 1 t of green PE is the equivalent of capturing 2.78 t of carbon dioxide.

"Solegear continues its strong partnership development, building momentum to drive adoption of bioplastics in the marketplace," says Paul Antoniadis, CEO of Solegear. The company produces and distributes bioplastics as resin, sheets and finished goods, and its products are designed to meet requirements to lower carbon emissions, reduce waste and remove toxicity.

"This partnership has strategic value for Braskem. It will provide us access to new markets and strengthen the company's growth in North America," says Gustavo Sergi, responsible for Braskem's Renewable Chemicals team.