ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES | JULY/AUGUST 2023 30 The plant will use more than 110,000 metric tons of polyester waste as raw material with a very high yield—the equivalent of 11 billion single-use water bottles, 790 million polyester T-shirts, or 2.7 billion shampoo bottles (Fig. 4). When fully operational, the France facility will be even bigger, with the ability to process more than 200,000 metric tons annually after phase two is com- plete. Several global brands have already signed letters of intent to leverage the plant’s output of Eastman Renew materials for more sustainable packaging. For the second U.S. facility, an agreement has already been reached with PepsiCo. REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Because Eastman is committed to developing technologies and products with a lower carbon footprint than traditional production, it commissioned a study from Quantis, an expert in life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, to assess methanolysis. The study confirms that producing DMT through methanolysis from recycled polyester waste results in 20-30% lower greenhouse gas emissions than producing DMT from fossil-based paraxylene at the same site. In addition, DMT from methanolysis outperforms fossil-based DMT in 13 of 14 environmental impact categories assessed (Fig. 5). For more details on the study, view the full report at eastman.com/LCA. The carbon footprint gains for PRT will be even greater at the facility in France, which will be able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% due to the abundance of renewable energy in the country. The Kingsport manufacturing facility also uses carbon renewal technology (CRT) to break down mixed waste plastics into molecular-level components. The company then uses these components to create a range of plastic resins, fibers, and acetyl chemical products that include certified recycled content. The LCA study, critically reviewed by CE Delft, shows that Eastman CRT enables a 22-50% improvement in carbon footprint for syngas production. CONCLUSION Eastman’s progress toward building a circular economy platform aligns with its history of technological progress for more than 100 years. The company’s innovation-driven growth strategy and sustainability strategy share the same goal—that 100% of growth R&D spending will align with sustainable macro trends by 2030. ~AM&P Note Eastman Tritan, Eastman Cristal, and Eastman Naia are trademarks of Eastman. For more information: Sandeep Bangaru, vice president of circular platform, Eastman, 100 Eastman Rd., Kingsport, TN 37660, 800.327.8626, circulareconomyteam@eastman.com. Fig. 4 – Plastic scrap is broken down into molecular building blocks before being reassembled into a new material using Eastman’s polyester renewal technology. Fig. 5 – Resulting data from a life cycle assessment study conducted by Quantis, which shows methanolysis with a lower greenhouse gas footprint than heritage manufacturing processes. * See eastman.com/LCA for details.
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