Sustainable Development Award Registration Officially Concludes

PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwired - Jun 5, 2014) - Odebrecht USA and Braskem America have announced that registration for the 2014 Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development has officially ended as of May 31st. The closing of registration marks the third year Odebrecht USA and Braskem America have invited university students nationwide to search for innovative technologies and methods to promote sustainable and responsible development.

The Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development was created in 2008 in Brazil and is now celebrated through competitions in Angola, Argentina, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, the United States and Venezuela.

Almost 700 students from more than 200 academic institutions in the United States have participated in the competition to date. Previous winning universities include University of Cincinnati, University of California Berkeley, Florida International University, Rice University, Johns Hopkins University and North Carolina State University.

Each applicant's project will now be processed through a Screening and Internal Committee Review, as well as an External Judge Panel, in order to determine the recipients of this year's award. Projects will be judged by their applicability, technical contribution, content, reasoning and depth, and clarity and presentation.

The 2014 external panel of judges includes:

Blake D. Welling, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission: A mechanical engineering graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy, Welling, currently the Branch Chief of the Commission, has spent over two decades as an inspector and assessor of the safety of industries that use nuclear material.

Cristina Jorge Schwarz, Apex Companies, LLC: The program manager for a national environmental consulting and engineering firm, Schwarz is also active as a guest speaker focusing on preventing and reducing environmental impact and energy use.

Dave Mashek, Meinert/Mashek Communications: A successful partner in the presentation and communication of projects, Mashek specializes in developing and implementing integrated public affairs strategies.

David E. Nash, Nash Daniels Advisors LLC: As senior advisor, Nash provides planning and business consulting services for organizations evaluating integrated planning for sustainability and government compliance.

Ed Miller: The 2013 recipient for "Engineer of the Year" by the National Society of Broadcast Engineers, Miller has spent over 50 years working in broadcast technology and has served as the National President of the Society of Broadcast Engineers.

Erin Krampetz, Ashoka U: As the co-founder and community director of Ashoka U, Krampetz aims to make colleges and universities become hubs of social innovation through strategic development.

Neal McAliley, White & Case: Working with clients on environmental issues, McAliley's responsibilities include federal agency permitting and criminal enforcement of federal environment laws.

Randall Moreland, Moreland Architecture + Sustainable Design: The recent head of sustainability for an international architecture firm based in Miami, Moreland has an eye for blending the aesthetically pleasing with an environmentally friendly resolution.

The award ceremony, to be held at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, will take place September 23, 2014. $65,000* in prizes will be awarded, with the winning project receiving $40,000, including $20,000 to the student(s) involved, $10,000 to the advising professor, and $10,000 to the university.

* All numbers herein are before taxation in accordance with state and federal law

About Odebrecht
Founded in 1944, Odebrecht is a company of Brazilian origin with a global presence. Odebrecht is Latin America's leader in engineering and construction, chemicals and petrochemicals, and also operates in the areas of bioenergy, water utilities, defense, real estate, properties, oil & gas, shipbuilding, and transportation and logistics. Operating in 21 countries, Odebrecht has more than 180,000 team members of 70 different nationalities and exports products and services to more than 70 countries worldwide. Our engineering and construction division has 70 years of experience and more than 35 years of international presence. Over the past 25 years, Odebrecht USA has built a portfolio of more than 60 projects worth more than $6.4 billion, delivering vital infrastructure projects for federal, state and local governments, as well as important private developers in Texas, Florida, Louisiana, California, North Carolina, and South Carolina. For more about Odebrecht, please visit www.odebrecht.com.

About Braskem
Braskem is the largest producer of thermoplastic resins in the Americas and the world's leading biopolymers producer, manufacturing green polyethylene from sugarcane-based ethanol. With 36 industrial plants in Brazil, the United States and Germany, the company produces over 35 billion pounds of thermoplastic resins and other petrochemicals per year, creating more environmental-friendly, intelligent and sustainable solutions through chemicals and plastics that improve people's lives.

Braskem is a component of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Emerging Markets, the Carbon Efficient Index (ICo2) and the Corporate Sustainability Index of the BM&FBovespa - Securities, Commodities and Futures Exchange. Braskem is a member of the United Nations' platform for more sustainable industries and its sustainability annual report is rated level A+. Fast Company ranks Braskem among its world's top 50 most innovative companies for using renewable sources to take the oil out of plastic.

Braskem America is the leading producer of polypropylene in the United States, with five production plants located in Texas, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, and a Technology and Innovation Center in Pittsburgh. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Braskem America is a wholly owned subsidiary of Braskem S.A. For more information, visit www.braskem.com.

Documents and/or Photos available for this release:

2013 Odebrecht Award Ceremony at the Arsht Center, in Miami

To view supporting documents and/or photos, go to www.enr-corp.com/pressroom and enter Release ID: 373719