Braskem Material Selector - Material decisions grounded in measurable polymer performance

ESG topic	What Braskem records	Why it matters
Restricted substances	REACH SVHC and RoHS communication needs by material family	Supports customer declarations and export review before order release.
Material efficiency	Grade selection, scrap sensitivity, processing window, hose replacement fit	Reduces waste caused by poor compatibility or repeated trial failure.
Packaging and logistics	Bag, carton, pallet, coil, and assembly packaging assumptions	Helps buyers understand handling, storage, and freight impact.
Change control	Qualification notes and document expectations for future revisions	Prevents silent substitutions in regulated or long-life programs.

Material Selector in rubber and plastic products is often discussed in broad language, but purchasing teams need a narrower operating view. A recycled content target, a restricted substance declaration, or a lower-waste hose replacement program only helps if it can be tied to the actual product and approval route. Braskem therefore treats ESG data as part of specification intake, not as a separate marketing claim.

For polymer compounds, the relevant question may be whether a grade supports post-consumer recycled content, whether a color or additive package affects recyclability, or whether a food-contact or medical declaration changes the available options. For hydraulic hose and fittings, material selector can mean correct sizing, longer service life, reduced leakage risk, and better maintenance planning. The common thread is traceable decision making.

Buyers are encouraged to include any customer-specific ESG language with the first quote request. That gives Braskem a chance to identify missing documents, incompatible assumptions, or material families that should not be advanced. The result is a cleaner material selector record and fewer late-stage surprises during supplier approval.

Checklist format for compliance requests

Confirm whether REACH, RoHS, FDA 21 CFR, USP Class VI, or IATF language is needed.
State the geography where the finished product will be sold or installed.
Separate mandatory customer declarations from optional supplier background documents.
Identify any recycled content, PFAS, or restricted additive concerns at the inquiry stage.

Selection considerations with both sides visible

PCR resin versus virgin resin

PCR resin can reduce virgin feedstock demand, but variable melt flow, colour and non-intentionally-added substances can widen the qualification burden. Virgin resin offers a tighter baseline for regulated or optical parts but does not meet every recycled-content objective. Compare both routes with lot-specific MFR, density, contamination screening and finished-part testing.

Injection molding versus extrusion

Injection molding supports complex geometry and controlled cavity dimensions; extrusion favors continuous profiles, film or sheet. Tooling, residence time, shear history and annual volume must be reviewed together, because a grade qualified in one process is not automatically qualified in the other.

Repeatable screening path

Where the cited method calls for it, condition specimens at 23°C and 50% relative humidity, record lot number and specimen geometry, run the named ASTM or ISO method, retain an untreated control, and report the value with units and acceptance criterion.

Limitations remain explicit: typical datasheet values are not release specifications; compatibility is media-, concentration-, stress- and time-dependent; and declarations are grade-, site-, market- and revision-specific. Request the current lot-specific CoA with the applicable TDS, SDS or scoped declaration before approval.

Practical ESG data for material selection and supplier review.

Checklist format for compliance requests

Selection considerations with both sides visible

PCR resin versus virgin resin

Injection molding versus extrusion

Repeatable screening path

Attach ESG and compliance requirements before the quote is built.