Eastman announced the company's plans to build one of the world's largest plastic-to-plastic molecular recycling facilities at its Kingsport, Tenn site. Through methanolysis, this world-scale facility will convert polyester waste that often ends up in landfills and waterways into durable products, creating an optimized circular economy. Over the next 2 years, the company will invest approximately $250 million in the facility, which will support Eastman's commitment to addressing the global waste crisis and to mitigating challenges created by climate change, while also creating value for its stakeholders. Using the company's polyester renewal technology, the new facility will use over 100k metric tons of plastic waste that cannot be recycled by current mechanical methods to produce premium, high-quality specialty plastics made with recycled content. This process of using plastic waste as the main feedstock is a true material-to-material solution and reduces the company's use of fossil feedstocks and reduces its greenhouse gas emissions by 20-30 percent relative to fossil feedstocks.
Eastman proudly announced that it received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2021 Corporate Equality Index, the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey and report measuring corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality. Eastman joins the ranks of 767 major U.S. businesses that also earned top marks this year. “Eastman’s strategy begins and ends with people,” said Mark Costa, Eastman Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “As we develop new products to meet society’s most pressing needs, we must inspire fresh thinking and innovative ideas. And that requires a culture that makes every team member feel valued, empowered and motivated to do their best work. We’re proud of improvements we’ve made, based on feedback from our team members, and earning this recognition from HRC reflects our progress and commitment.”
Popular Science has named Sustain water bottles made by Nalgene as one of its greatest innovations of 2020. The bottles are made with Tritan Renew, an Eastman product made from revolutionary new recycling technology that transforms single-use waste into basic building blocks that are then used to make durable, high performance, food-safe materials.
Eastman announced ambitious 2030 sustainability commitments in tandem with the publication of its 2020 sustainability report. The report highlights the company's commitment to sustainable innovation and establishes goals to address three difficult, long-term and potentially devastating challenges that will affect our rapidly growing population: climate change, the plastic waste crisis and social inequities. Eastman has a responsibility to continuously improve its operational footprint. The company supports the Paris Agreement and in alignment with it, Eastman is committing to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. Eastman is contributing to a circular economy. For Eastman, that means keeping plastic waste out of landfills and the environment through recycling innovations that convert waste to materials thereby reducing the use of fossil feedstocks. By working from the inside out to ensure its employee population mirrors the world's population in its diverse make-up and aligning its external partnerships, Eastman will contribute to creating a more equitable society.
Eastman was recently named as the Tennessee Tri-Star Champion for its COVID-19 response over the past several months. The Tennessee Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s 2020 Special Edition Environment and Energy Awards recognized businesses that have demonstrated outstanding innovation, resilience, and community stewardship in response to the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Categories of Innovative Retooling and Repurposing, Excellence in Operational Health and Safety, and Outstanding Community Stewardship were recognized. Eastman received the highest honor for exemplary achievement in all three categories. "On behalf of the Tennessee Chamber/Tennessee Manufacturers Association, we are proud to recognize the tremendous efforts during the pandemic that a number of businesses and manufacturers, like Eastman, demonstrated going above and beyond for their customers, communities and employees,” said Bradley Jackson, TN Chamber president and CEO.
The Wall Street Journal has named Eastman one of the 100 most sustainably managed companies in the world. This list by the publication is based on analysis by its experts on how well companies perform across a range of sustainability analytics, including environment, innovation and the workplace. The list of the 100 most sustainably managed companies in the world was published Oct. 12. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reviewed more than 5,500 publicly traded companies around the world to arrive at the top 100 that are most sustainably managed. Out of those 5,500, Eastman is ranked No. 90. Eastman is one of only three U.S.-based companies in the chemicals sector on the list. Eastman is a member of the United Nations Global Compact and is guided by its 10 principles for sustainable business, and Eastman aligns with Global Reporting Initiative standards and the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Eastman’s innovation-driven growth strategy has for several years been predicated on delivering material solutions for some of the world’s most pressing problems.
Eastman was named to the Forbes list of America’s Best-in-State Employers 2020 in the state of Tennessee. For its second annual ranking, Forbes partnered with global business data platform Statista to identify the organizations liked best by employees in each of the 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. “We are honored to be recognized in this way and to be named alongside so many notable and reputable companies,” said Chairman and CEO Mark Costa. “As we celebrate our centennial anniversary this year, I am proud that Eastman remains a relevant and thriving employer and that our Kingsport employees value being part of the Eastman team. This recognition reflects an appreciation of our culture, our values, and our purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way.” America’s Best-in-State Employers were identified based on an independent survey from a vast sample of 80,000 U.S. employees working for companies employing at least 500 people. Employees were not consulted via their employers but anonymously through a series of online panels a
As part of its dedication to create a more circular economy, Eastman has joined two organizations – the Ellen MacArthur New Plastics Economy Global Commitment and the U.S. Plastics Pact – that unite members behind a shared vision to deliver solutions that address the plastic waste crisis. Eastman joined some of the world's leading businesses in signing the New Plastics Economy Global Commitment, and it is a founding signatory to the U.S. Plastics Pact, which is a collaborative led by The Recycling Partnership and World Wildlife Fund in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation. Signatories to the Global Commitment and Plastics Pact are united by real actions to create a future where plastic never becomes waste.
