Kicking off with Braskem and the Philadephia Eagles

With the NFL season here, materials maker Braskem America has partnered with the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles on a recycling program.

Philadelphia-based Braskem America, a major producer of polypropylene and biopolymers, this season will launch a closed loop recycling program at Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play their home games.

The nine-year program is focused on sustainability and will build on the Eagles' long-standing commitment to environmental and community development programs, Braskem officials said in a Sept. 4 news release.

The partnership also includes an online 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, they added. Braskem also will collect and recycle plastic bottle caps at those schools.

The Eagles "have been a leader in sustainability, not only in Philadelphia, but throughout professional sports," Braskem America CEO Mark Nikolich said in the release. "We also look forward to collecting and recycling bottle caps at schools in the region through our 'cap-etition' which will provide an even greater impact for the program by educating the public about the benefits of recycling."

Eagles President Don Smolenski added in the release that Braskem "is a global sustainability leader that places a high value on renewable solutions, community development and education."

Braskem also will collect bottle caps for recycling at the NovaCare Complex, the team's practice facility. The collection and recycling process will be highlighted at an interactive fan zone located on Lincoln Financial Field's HeadHouse Plaza.

Through this new integrated partnership, Lincoln Financial Field's Northeast Gate will be renamed the Braskem Gate. In addition, the partners will jointly develop recycling awareness content for exposure across the team's digital and social channels.

The Eagles' Go Green! program has been nationally-recognized for its commitment to sustainability and ecofriendly measures. What started out with blue recycling bins under each employee's desk in 2003 has turned into a companywide sustainability program that is diverting more than 99 percent of waste from landfills and operating on 100 percent clean energy.

In June 2018, the Eagles became the first professional sports team to receive ISO20121 certification, an international standard designed to help organizations integrate sustainability into management practices and processes.

Braskem America is a unit of global plastics and petrochemicals firm Braskem SA of São Paulo. The firm operates 41 production units worldwide and posted sales of $14.7 billion in 2017.

The Eagles in February defeated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl for their first NFL title since 1960. They opened up their title defense on Sept. 6 with an 18-12 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Philadelphia.