MOSCOW (MRC) -- Biopolymer producer Braskem of Brazil has expanded its distribution agreement with German bioplastics manufacturer FKuR beyond Europe to include the United States and Canada, said Agra Europe.
This follows a distribution contract for its distribution in Europe established two years ago.
With its extensive experience in bioplastics, FKuR, headquartered in Willich, Germany, will now be able to provide both technical and sales support directly to customers interested in Green PE within the USA and Canada.
The ethanol used for Braskem’s Green PE is derived from sugarcane and each ton produced captures more than two tons of CO2, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. An additional value of biobased plastics, says FKuR, is the possibility of taking an existing product produced with fossil based materials and relaunching it into the market.
Since converters can keep the same processing parameters and productivity rates, there are no changes required for product design which allows for a faster time-to-market.
As a further development, FKuR is increasing the range of applications for Green PE by offering tailor made compounds based on Braskem’s biobased polyethylene under the brand Terralene.
Terralene and Green PE have the same properties and processability as conventional polyethylene and the ability to be a drop in replacement on existing production lines. In addition, Terralene and Green PE are 100 % recyclable in existing polyethylene recycling streams. FKuR has distributed Braskem's sugarcane ethanol-based polyethylene - branded Green PE - exclusively in Europe since November 2011 and will now provide technical and sales support to customers across the Atlantic Ocean as well.
Bioplastics specialist FKuR is an official distribution partner for Braskem's Green PE in USA and Canada., with immediate effect. This latest development follows the distribution contract which was signed between the two partners for the exclusive distribution of Green PE in Europe, previously announced in November 2011.With its extensive experience in bioplastics, FKuR will now be able to provide both technical and sales support directly to customers interested in Green PE within USA and Canada.
As MRC wrote earlier, Braskem S.A. purchased holdings at the plant, which is located in Pennsylvania. The facility belongs to the Philadelphia-based (USA) company Sunoco Inc. The Sao Paulo-headquartered company is going to manufacture propylene at its polypropylene (PP) unit.
Braskem is the leading producer of thermoplastic resins in Latin America and the US, following its purchase of polypropylene assets of Dow Chemical. The company serves 70% of Brazilian demand in PP, PE and PVC resins, but foreign resin imports have gained Brazilian market share in recent years. Brazil's annual consumption of PP is estimated at 1.4 million tons this year. Braskem has been a target of criticism by plastics processors over its perceived dominance of the resins market. Brazil's import tariff on foreign PP is 14%, but could increase. Brazil's federal government raised the import tariff on PE in late 2012 from 14-20%.
MRC