Sustainability at Eastman: the value of transparency

At Eastman, we are on a journey — a journey to become an even better version of the great company we’ve always been. We are constantly striving to make a bigger contribution and to make life better for people around the world through our materials innovation and how we operate.   

We aim to always put our best foot forward — whether that’s in person or online. We’ve just updated eastman.com to better reflect who we are and where we’re going. Over the next few months, our website will continue to evolve as we broaden our upgraded content. We want to engage — whether it’s with customers who are looking for products to meet pressing needs, investors who are evaluating our innovation strategy, or stakeholders who want to see proof and transparency that we are a company enabling a more sustainable future. 

We’ve taken the opportunity to stop and reflect on our journey thus far and have published our 2022 Sustainability Report, “A Better Circle,” to share our progress. I invite you to engage and take a look.  Our report is designed to meet multiple objectives. While we don’t expect many to read the entire report, it offers something of value for every person who is connected to Eastman in some way or who has an interest in what we do.  

A priority of our sustainability report is showcasing our commitments and progress toward achieving them. We consider it essential to not only establish aggressive goals such as becoming carbon neutral, recycling hundreds of millions of pounds of plastic waste, and increasing the sustainability of our innovation portfolio but also to be transparent about our journey.  

I recommend that everyone who opens our 2022 report spend a few minutes reading the introduction from our CEO Mark Costa. I keep going back to one sentence in Mark’s letter: 

At Eastman, we believe there are always solutions to the challenges the world faces. 

That sentence is an especially compelling one that, for me, captures Eastman’s place in the world. 

The challenges faced by our world today must be solved. Doing nothing, or even continuing to stay the course the world has followed for decades, poses a threat to our present-day quality of life and the quality of life for future generations. 

Eastman is a company with more than a century of innovation at our core. The spirit of innovation has never changed, but as the world has grown and the challenges become more complex, the need for us to innovate and provide sustainable solutions has become absolute. At Eastman, we believe there are always solutions, and we believe, too, that we have a responsibility to deliver them. 

We have 14,000 talented people and the technologies to solve even the most complex challenges, so we have a moral obligation to set big commitments, do the work needed to achieve them and focus on creating materials that meet today’s challenges and anticipate what is coming. 

That’s why we come to work every day. That’s why we share this report of our progress — to be transparent externally and hold ourselves accountable internally. Through innovation and collaboration, we will create materials that enhance the quality of life for people around the world. We are committed to A Better Circle.