PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Braskem (B3: BRKM3, BRKM5 and BRKM6; LATIBEX: XBRK; OTC: BRKMY), the largest thermoplastics polyolefins producer in the Americas and leading producer of biopolymers in the world, and the Philadelphia Eagles are pleased to today announce the first year results of their joint STEM Scholars Program and Cap-etition Recycling Competition.

Braskem and the Eagles joined forces in September 2018, entering into a nine-year sustainability-focused partnership. The partnership included the development of a closed loop Cap-etition recycling program for bottle caps and other plastic products as well as an education platform for 30 Philadelphia-area county schools to teach students about Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) career opportunities to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders. This educational focus was a central pillar of the parties' initial partnership around strengthening youth focused STEM education.

The goal of the initiative between Braskem and the Philadelphia Eagles is to provide an immersive learning environment to community schools at no charge to the districts, ensuring that students receive the tools necessary to become knowledgeable and engaged 21^st century citizens. The program also encouraged students to collect and recycle bottle caps at schools in the region through a Cap-etition which provided an even greater impact for the program by educating the public about the benefits of closed loop recycling and environmental sustainability.

To date, the STEM Scholars Program has engaged 2,812 student beneficiaries, with 30 schools enrolled and 3,629 total hours of learning completed. 49% of students said the program made them want to do better in science and math courses so that they can pursue interesting careers in the future while 44% of students said the program helped them see themselves in a career using STEM.

"On behalf of the entire Braskem team, we are delighted with the results of our STEM youth educational initiative with the Philadelphia Eagles just one year after launch, the results have been truly remarkable," said Mark Nikolich, CEO Braskem America. "We are looking forward to expanding our joint STEM education and student recycling programs in 2020, engaging more students to further highlight the life-long opportunities STEM can provide as well as reinforcing the benefits of recycling to create a more sustainable future."

"It's exciting to see how our community schools have embraced the STEM Scholars Program in its inaugural year," said Don Smolenski, Philadelphia Eagles President. "We are proud of this partnership with Braskem to inspire students in the classroom and spark a passion within them and to expose them to future career opportunities in STEM-related industries."

Together with the support of EVERFI and STEM Scholars, students practiced their STEM skills while learning about exciting opportunities in STEM oriented careers. The program also offers tangible next steps that students can take to pursue careers in STEM related career fields – from courses to take in high school, to college majors they can pursue, to potential internships where they can apply and strengthen their STEM skills.

Students completed assessments before and after taking each program module, providing teachers and administrators with valuable information about where they were excelling and where they are struggling. Students sponsored by Braskem and the Philadelphia Eagles saw massive gains in their knowledge from pre-course to post-course. Across four STEM skills development programs students increased their scores on assessments by an average of 89%. 75% of the students who participated in the online program were in the 8^th grade, with an equal number of female and male students taking part. Over 60% of the student participating in the STEM Scholars program are from low to moderate income communities.

Caitlyn Locke, a teacher from Strath Haven Middle School which won the cap-etition recycling competition and received a $2,500 grant commented, "STEM Scholars gave each of my students a chance to explore potential STEM careers in their future and positively influenced their lives in an engaging and fun way. Participating in the "cap-etition" ramped up the excitement level and added a tangible element to the program. The grant money will go towards equipment and programming for our 7th grade Computer Science classroom to build future students skill sets for the very jobs they learned about in the STEM Scholars Program."

In 2020, the joint Braskem and Philadelphia Eagles STEM Scholars Program will be expanded further with the addition of a fifth module, centered around Data Analytics and created in partnership with SAP, the market leader in enterprise application software.

ABOUT THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

The Philadelphia Eagles and the team's Go Green! program have been nationally-recognized for their commitment to sustainability and eco-friendly measures. What started out with blue recycling bins under each employee's desk in 2003 has turned into a company-wide sustainability program that is diverting more than 99% of waste from landfills and operating on 100% clean energy. In June 2018, the Eagles became the first professional sports team to receive ISO20121 certification, which is an international standard designed to help organizations integrate sustainability into management practices and processes

For more information on the Philadelphia Eagles and the team's Go Green! program, please visit www.PhiladelphiaEagles.com.

ABOUT EVERFI, INC.

EVERFI is a technology company driving social change through education that addresses the biggest issues affecting society ranging from financial wellness to prescription drug safety to workplace conduct. Founded in 2008, EVERFI is fueled by its Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform and has reached more than 30 million learners across the U.S. and Canada. EVERFI's Networks bring together financial institutions, colleges and universities, and some of the largest corporations to leverage insights and connections to drive impact. Some of America's leading CEOs and venture capital firms are EVERFI investors including Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt, Twitter founder Evan Williams, Advance Publications, Rethink Education and Rethink Impact. To learn more about EVERFI visit everfi.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter @EVERFI.

ABOUT BRASKEM

With a human-oriented global vision of the future, Braskem strives every day to improve people's lives by creating sustainable solutions with chemicals and plastics. Braskem is the largest producer of thermoplastic polyolefins in the Americas and the leading producer of biopolymers in the world, creating more environmentally-friendly, intelligent and sustainable solutions through chemicals and plastics. Braskem exports to clients in approximately 100 countries and operates 41 industrial units, which are located in Brazil, United States, Germany and Mexico, the latter in partnership with the Mexican company Idesa. For more information, visit www.braskem.com.

Braskem America is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Braskem S.A. headquartered in Philadelphia. The company is the leading producer of polypropylene in the United States, with six production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, an Innovation and Technology Center in Pittsburgh, and a new operation in Boston focused on leveraging groundbreaking developments in biotechnology and advanced materials. For more information, visit www.braskem.com/usa.

For more information about Braskem's I'm green™ Polyethylene (PE) bioplastic please visit: http://plasticoverde.braskem.com.br/site.aspx/plastic-green

ABOUT BLUEVISION

Bluevision was created to represent actions and initiatives that focus on sustainability and which bring a positive impact to the planet and people's lives. It is a platform that shows the capacity of the human being to actively influence the course of the planet through their actions and everyday lives. Through facts, stories and curiosities, Bluevision connects people who are seeking innovative and society-oriented solutions that use resources in an intelligent way. For more information about Bluevision please visit: www.bluevisionbraskem.com 

SOURCE Braskem

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