Braskem resin sales in Brazil fall 8% in Q2 2026

Why did Braskem's resin sales fall in Brazil?

Braskem sold 763,000 tonnes of resins in the Brazilian market in Q2 2026, an 8% year-on-year drop. The company attributes the decline primarily to stronger import competition, which squeezed domestic sales of polyethylene (-9%) and polypropylene (-5%). PVC volumes edged down 2%, driven by inventory management along the processing chain.

How did the global environment affect operations?

Braskem pointed to a volatile macroeconomic backdrop shaped by the Middle East conflict, which tightened global raw-material supply and pushed up oil and naphtha prices. As a result, plant utilisation in Brazil fell four percentage points to 70%. Output at the Rio de Janeiro petrochemical complex was constrained by lower feedstock availability, while the Rio Grande do Sul complex scaled back production in response to softer demand.

What happened to exports and chemical sales?

Resin exports dropped 23% year-on-year to 175,000 tonnes, largely because of lower polyethylene export volumes. Domestic sales of key chemicals contracted 5% to 598,000 tonnes, but chemical exports surged 55% to 60,000 tonnes — a bright spot in an otherwise soft quarter.

How did Braskem's international units perform?

Operations in the United States and Europe sold 499,000 tonnes, a modest 1% annual decline. Braskem Idesa in Mexico posted a steeper 20% fall to 125,000 tonnes. On the upside, petrochemical spreads — the gap between selling prices and feedstock costs — rose across all units, both year-on-year and sequentially, reflecting the restricted raw-material environment.

What is the outlook?

The company says it continues to monitor geopolitical tensions, especially in the Middle East, which are generating volatility in oil and petrochemical input prices and creating uncertainty around potential logistics restrictions.