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Eastman Chemical Company

Eastman

Eastman Chemical Company is a global specialty materials company producing a variety of everyday products.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Florina-Andreea Pantazi (Head of Unit Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs)

15 Jan 2026 · Upcoming REACH Restriction on terphenyl hydrogenated

Meeting with Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea (Director Environment) and

15 Jan 2026 · Single-use Plastics Directive

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

18 Nov 2025 · Circular Economy Act

Eastman urges EU-only waste rules to protect billion-euro investment

6 Nov 2025
Topic — The Circular Economy Act aims to boost EU competitiveness through sustainable production models.
Message — The company requests that only waste generated within Europe counts toward mandatory recycled content targets. They also demand trade defense measures and stricter safety standards for imported recycled materials.12
Why — This framework would safeguard the company's planned billion-euro investment in European recycling infrastructure.34
Impact — Foreign recycling firms lose access to the European market for mandatory recycled products.56
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Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Nov 2025 · EU Circular economy act

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Sept 2025 · Circular Economy

Meeting with Jessika Roswall (Commissioner) and

16 Sept 2025 · Rules for chemical recycling in the upcoming implementing act under the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD).

Meeting with Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea (Director Environment)

10 Sept 2025 · Exchange of views on chemical recycling and the difficult situation of the EU plastic recycling industry

Response to EU rules for the calculation and reporting of recycled content in single-use plastic bottles

19 Aug 2025

Eastman, a specialty material company seeking to further invest in Europe, welcomes the European Commissions proposed Implementing Act under the Single-Use Plastics Directive (SUPD), which outlines the methodology for calculating, verifying, and reporting recycled plastic content in single-use plastic beverage bottles. This provides a clear recognition of chemical recycling of plastics for contribution towards the plastics recycled content targets set in the EU legislation. We appreciate that the complementary role of chemical recycling to mechanical recycling to improve overall recycling performance is recognised. Eastman applauds the fuel-use excluded mass balance parameters which encourage material to material recycling, while enabling coprocessing with virgin and post-industrial content in existing chemical and refinery production facilities including pyrolysis, steam cracker and polymerisation, to efficiently and rapidly scale up high quality, food-contact-ready recycled material to meet the European Union requirements for 2030 and beyond. Indeed, analysis by legal experts informs us that this degree of fuel exclusion is necessary to meet the requirements of the Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC. In addition, the strict application of fuel-use excluded mass balance principles as described in the current draft of the SUPD IA is critical to brands, European consumers and our industry as a way to build and maintain integrity in our recycling systems and claims. This principle-based approach enables a broad range of chemical recycling technologies and enhances European competitiveness. We note the proposal clarifies Chemical Recycling pathways, serving as a technology-agnostic basis for new, targeted investments to spur increased material yield from recycling processes and expand the capacity of high efficiency material-to-material recycling of harder-to-recycle materials. By accelerating EU innovation in alignment with WFD requirements, this Implementing Act will allow the EU to extend its leadership position in recycled and circular products. Highlighting the use of process-specific operational data and use of third-party verification of fuel use exclusion dramatically enhances the credibility of the proposed mass balance principles to European legislators and citizens. Submittals from Systemiq LTD include endorsements from eleven organizations from across the value chaintechnology and material producers, converters, waste collectors, and brands-- recognizing the benefits of moving forward with this Implementing Act, with nine further endorsing specific technical responses to the IA. Along with those endorsers, we support the Implementing Acts speedy adoption in its current form with minimal amendment by Q4 2025. This proposal represents a meaningful advancement towards a European circular economy for plastics and provides legal clarity for future investments and the scaling up of recycling technologies leading to job creation across Europe. One area for future consideration is the current set of restrictions under Article 7(7) preventing the transfer of mass balance credits between facilities of the same economic operator. Where a 3-month balancing period is permitted (Article 7(6)), allowing credit transfers for the same materials between facilities would enhance operational flexibility without compromising regulatory objectives. Please find our detailed technical response to the consultation in the attached document. It contains our suggested amendments to enhance the clarity of the language, in line with our understanding of the intent of the proposed legislation. In order to support our requests, we have provided some explanation of how we understand the articles translate into decisions on which calculation point is related to each step from waste to bottle. We propose also some amendments that Eastman believes are necessary to support the rapid scale up of recycling to generate food grade recycled plastics
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Meeting with Stéphane Séjourné (Executive Vice-President) and

18 Jun 2025 · Économie circulaire et recyclage moléculaire du plastique

Meeting with Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea (Director Environment) and

17 Jun 2025 · Exchange of views on plastic waste recycling and recycled content under the Single-Use Plastic Directive and Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation

Meeting with Sabine Weyand (Director-General Trade)

16 Jun 2025 · Circular economy, plastics circularity and competitiveness of the recycling plastic industry in the EU.

Meeting with Arthur Corbin (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné)

11 Mar 2025 · Future of the chemical sector

Meeting with Maria Isabel Garcia Catalan (Head of Unit Taxation and Customs Union) and Ruessmann Beck Co

10 Mar 2025 · Physical meeting - Discussion on the possibility to create a binding non-preferential rule of origin for products of choline chloride

Meeting with Jan Ceyssens (Cabinet of Commissioner Jessika Roswall)

7 Mar 2025 · Exchange of views on recycling

Meeting with Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea (Director Environment)

7 Feb 2025 · Exchange of views on chemical recycling rules under the Single- Use Plastic Directive and its implementing decision

Meeting with Aldo Patriciello (Member of the European Parliament) and NOVE

26 Nov 2024 · PPW

Meeting with Cristian-Silviu Buşoi (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair) and Vodafone Belgium SA and NOVE

9 Jan 2024 · Europe`s industrial priorities

Meeting with Andrus Ansip (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Ecommerce Europe and Radisson Hotel Group

23 Oct 2023 · Green Claims Directive

Meeting with Cristian-Silviu Buşoi (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Sept 2023 · recycling technologies and innovation

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Sept 2023 · Sustainable materials

Meeting with Patrizia Toia (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and Plastics Recyclers Europe

14 Jun 2023 · PPWR (meeting held by the APA responsible)

Meeting with Cristian-Silviu Buşoi (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Jun 2023 · PPWR and chemical recycling

Response to EU rules for the calculation and reporting of recycled content in single-use plastic bottles

30 May 2023

Eastman believes the SUPD draft implementing act phase I, which is limited to mechanical recycling of PET beverage bottles, is a missed opportunity in reducing Europes plastic waste production and increasing plastic recycling across the bloc. When it comes to waste management and circularity, Eastman believes that mechanical recycling should be leveraged whenever possible. However, it has to be acknowledged that the recycled content targets for PET beverage bottles of 25% by 2025 will not be achieved by mechanical recycling alone and that chemical recycling is needed as complementary to ensure the sufficient supply of rPET for these beverage bottles. According to a SystemIQ report (Circularity of PET/polyester packaging and textiles in Europe, Feb 2023), PET beverage bottle material demand in Europe is projected to be ~3.5 million MT in 2025. A minimum of 875 kMT of food grade quality rPET (25% of the 3.5 million MT) is required to fulfill the SUPD target. In 2020, there was less than 550 kMT of food-grade rPET pellets produced in the EU, meaning a gap of at least 325 kMT of acceptable quality rPET. If only mechanical recycling were to be allowed to contribute to the targets, then pelletization and solid stating capacity would need to grow by 75% from 2020 levels to meet projected demand under optimistic yield and utilization conditions. Additionally, yields and quality need to be improved, as well as investments in additional sortation / separation will be required. In order for the European mechanical recycling system to close the >325 kMT gap from non-Deposit Return Schemes (DRS) feedstock that is currently in the system, there would need to be collection and aggregation of >720 kMT (based on yield rate of 45% on non-DRS feedstock) of PET feedstock back to the quality that mechanical systems require, according to Eunomia study (PET Market in Europe 2022 State of Play, 2022). This is a significant challenge over the next 18 months, especially for many Member States which do not have the infrastructure or DRS systems today. Therefore, it is critical that chemical recycling is included in the implementing act and that its output counts towards the recycled content targets. Eastmans molecular recycling technology (depolymerization) will have the capability to recycle almost any kind of polyester-rich waste (mixed hard-to-recycle plastic waste including for example polyester-rich textiles) an infinite number of times into high-quality (food grade) secondary raw materials, which will help to reduce the amount of primary raw materials used in products and to provide a solution to those materials that cannot mechanically be recycled and end up in incineration or landfill. Only by the combined use of all recycling technologies - mechanical, physical, and chemical recycling - the EU can ensure a zero-waste economy, the true circularity of materials (infinite usage), and meet the recycled content targets. In order to achieve the targets for 2025 and even 2030, it is essential that there are no further delays in providing legal certainty to companies that are investing or planning to invest in chemical recycling facilities and in optimizing the infrastructure in Europe. Therefore, we would urge the Commission to adopt by latest by the end of 2023 the so-called phase II by amending the Implementing Act, establishing a methodology to calculate, verify and report recycled plastic content in beverage bottles for content not obtained by mechanical recycling of PET waste. This amendment should ensure the inclusion of the other chain of custody methodologies, including mass balance, so that chemically recycled PET materials can also contribute towards the recycled content targets for PET beverage bottles in 2025.
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Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and NOVE

28 Apr 2023 · Transition to a circular economy and the role of chemical recycling

Eastman urges EU to recognize all plastic recycling technologies

24 Apr 2023
Topic — The Commission is reviewing rules to reduce packaging waste and increase recycling.
Message — Eastman wants the EU to recognize chemical recycling alongside mechanical methods. They suggest including all plastic waste types in recycled content calculations. The company also promotes a 'mass balance' system for tracking materials.123
Why — This would secure the commercial viability of Eastman's chemical recycling investments.45
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Meeting with Frédérique Ries (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

1 Mar 2023 · PPWR

Meeting with Martin Hojsík (Member of the European Parliament) and Dow Europe GmbH and

7 Feb 2023 · Chemical recycling

Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner)

2 Dec 2022 · To discuss new proposals on Circular Economy package II, as well as chemical recycling.

Meeting with Tom Berendsen (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

16 Mar 2022 · Industry Strategy - Meeting with APA

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

3 Mar 2022 · Circular economy and chemical recycling

Meeting with Rozalina Petrova (Cabinet of Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius)

3 Mar 2022 · Circular economy and chemical recycling

Meeting with Joan Canton (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

3 Mar 2022 · Circular economy and chemical recycling

Response to Waste Framework review to reduce waste and the environmental impact of waste management

22 Feb 2022

Eastman supports the intention of the European Commission to review the Revision of the Waste Framework Directive (WFD) and appreciates the opportunity to contribute to this call for evidence. We support the ambitious goals set in the European Green Deal and EU’s goal to become climate neutral by 2050. We also fully respect the waste hierarchy and, therefore, support an aggressive push toward reduction and reuse. Harmonized legislative landscape To create a true single market for plastics it is important that all definitions of recycling are fully (maximum) harmonized at the EU level. The WFD revision also provides an opportunity to provide a clear set of harmonized definitions either through an update of existing definitions (e.g. End-of-life) or addition of new concepts (e.g. chain of custody mass balance, End-of-use, end-of-waste). The definition of recycling should remain “technology neutral.” To ensure that not only the amount of plastic waste that is incinerated or ends up in landfills or as litter gets reduced but also that as much waste material as possible is recovered and reprocessed into new materials or products (excluding material to fuel or energy that is not consistent with the move toward reliance on green energy), we need all recycling technologies (mechanical and chemical) to be recognized under the current definition. Moreover, the definition of recyclability should consider the innovation principle and include new recycling technologies as well those that are under development to be scaled up. It is also important that the geographical scope of this definition is broadened to create an EU wide solution for the recycling of plastic materials. Transition from waste-oriented to a resource-oriented European society Eastman’s advanced recycling technologies have the capability to recycle almost any kind of plastic waste an infinite number of times. Incorporating broadest streams of plastic waste increases the efficiency and productivity of recycling programs and increases market demand for sustainable solutions, which will build a more robust recycling infrastructure quicker. In addition to post-consumer waste, there is immense value in using post-industrial and pre-consumer waste as recycling feedstocks. More than 300 million tons of plastic are created globally each year; on average, only 12% is recycled. Therefore, we believe that Europe should update its policy framework to foster the emergence of a truly functioning single market for waste destined for recycling and to progressively transition from a waste-oriented to a resource-oriented European society. And all recycled waste should count towards recycled content targets. Improve infrastructure to create true circularity of plastic materials To ensure products are recyclable at scale and to create true plastic circularity, improved infrastructure to increase collection, sorting, and processing is needed so that hard-to-recycle waste materials can become feedstock for infinite use instead of being incinerated or ending up in landfills or the environment. It is essential to have continuous, sufficient volumes of feedstock to make sure that new and existing recycling technologies can supply enough raw material for the circular economy. Therefore, all plastic packaging and textiles should be collected without introducing overly complex at-home sorting processes that put an unnecessary burden on consumers and risk the loss of valuable material. Investments in enhanced sorting technologies will help to sort all the collected packaging and textiles appropriately. To ensure that waste in Europe can be recycled in a sustainable and economically viable way and to allow existing and new recycling technologies to scale up, it is essential that member states take a cooperative role when dealing with waste management, eliminating waste shipment barriers in the EU as well as to OECD countries when intended for recycling in an environmentally sound manner.
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Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament)

3 Feb 2022 · Chemical recycling and circular economy initiatives

Response to EU strategy for sustainable textiles

2 Feb 2021

Our position is embedded as a document
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Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

19 Jun 2020 · European Green Deal, circular economy and plastics

Eastman Chemical Company warns TiO2 classification threatens circular economy

8 Feb 2019
Topic — EU consultation on amending chemical classification rules, focusing on titanium dioxide's safety status.
Message — Eastman suggests excluding titanium dioxide from the current update to chemical classification rules. They argue the substance is only hazardous when inhaled, making labels on solid products unnecessary.12
Why — The company avoids expensive product reformulations and prevents its materials from being perceived as hazardous.34
Impact — Recycling industries and the circular economy suffer as common consumer items become classified as hazardous waste.56
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