Eastman Chemical Company Board Chair and CEO Mark Costa and Tennessee Governor Bill Lee have announced the company's plans to build one of the world's largest plastic-to-plastic molecular recycling facilities at its site in Kingsport, Tennessee.

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 two years, Eastman will invest approximately US$ 250 million in the facility, which will support its commitment to addressing the global waste crisis and to mitigating challenges created by climate change, while also creating value for its stakeholders.

Utilizing the company's polyester renewal technology, the new facility will use over 100,000 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 will not only reduce the company's use of fossil feedstock, but also reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 20-30% relative to fossil feedstock.

Eastman and Governor Lee have announced world-scale plastic-to-plastic molecular recycling facility to be built at its site in Kingsport.

This facility, which is expected to be mechanically complete by year-end 2022, will contribute to the company achieving its sustainability commitments for addressing the plastic waste crisis, which includes recycling more than 500 million pounds of plastic waste annually by 2030 via molecular recycling technologies.

“Thanks to the support of the State of Tennessee and our local officials, we are able to build this facility in our home state, which we believe positions Tennessee to be a leader in enabling the circular economy and an example for others to follow,” said Costa.

“I'd like to thank Eastman for investing in Kingsport and its highly skilled workforce, and for focusing on innovative technology that enhances the quality of life for people not just in Tennessee, but around the world,” said Governor Lee.

Eastman was one of the pioneers in developing methanolysis technology at commercial scale and has more than three decades of expertise in this innovative recycling process. Eastman's experience with methanolysis makes it uniquely qualified to be a leader in delivering this solution at commercial scale.

Polyester renewal technology will be an especially impactful solution, as low-quality polyester waste that cannot be mechanically recycled and would typically be diverted to landfills, incineration or end up in the environment can instead be recycled into high-quality polyesters suitable for use in a variety of end-use durable applications.