- Business
- Braskem S.A. produces and sells thermoplastic resins and petrochemicals as Latin America's largest petrochemical company and the leading producer of such resins in the Americas. The company manufactures polyethylene including green polyethylene from renewable sugarcane ethanol, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride resins; basic petrochemicals such as ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, xylene, and cumene; and other products including chlorine, soda, solvents, gasoline, diesel, and liquefied petroleum gas, serving industries including packaging, automotive, construction, healthcare, agriculture, paints, and sanitation. Braskem operates through segments in Brazil, the United States, Europe, and Mexico with production facilities in locations such as Camacari and Paulinia in Brazil, Texas in the United States, and Nanchital in Mexico; it maintains offices and serves customers in more than 70 countries across five continents. Founded in 2002 through the integration of Copene, OPP Petroquímica, Trikem, Proppet, Nitrocarbono, and Polialden, and formerly known as Copene Petroquímica do Nordeste S.A., Braskem is headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, and lists its shares on the B3 under ticker BRKM5 as well as American Depositary Receipts on the NYSE. In recent developments, Braskem approved a R$4.2 billion investment in October 2025 to expand its Rio de Janeiro petrochemical complex capacity by 2028 pending additional financing and a long-term ethane supply contract with Petrobras; announced nearly USD 60 million to increase I'm green biopolymer production by 30% and explores a new plant in Thailand via partnership with SCG Chemicals as of October 2025; committed R$614 million across seven projects in January 2025 to boost output by 139 thousand tons in Brazil; and advanced a strategic partnership with Solví including a R$448 million capital increase for Cetrel in 2024 with remaining payments by November 2025.