In 2007 an ethanol-based manufacturing plant, totally integrated from sugarcane to polyethylene, was announced by the Dow Chemical Company, in conjunction with Crystalsev, a large sugar and ethanol producer in Brazil.
[2] The plant was projected to produce 350 000 metric tonnes per year of renewable LLDPE (linear low-density polyethylene), would begin construction in 2008, and was slated to start production in 2011.
Braskem is the world leader in the production of biopolymer, with the Green Polyethylene "I'm green™", a thermoplastic resin produced from ethylene made from sugarcane ethanol, a 100% renewable raw material which helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Green PE has the same properties, performance, and application versatility as fossil-based polyethylene, which makes it a drop-in replacement in the plastic production chain.
In January 2014, the family of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) was added to the product portfolio, effectively covering additional applications in packaging and films.