Eastman Achieves ISO 59014 Certification, Advancing Leadership in Sustainable Circular Material Recovery

Eastman’s recycling technology processes a variety of hard-to-recycle wastes, including curbside-collected plastic packaging, that would otherwise be landfilled or incinerated and converts it back into molecular building blocks that can be used to make new materials with virgin-quality performance. This material-to-material approach supports a more circular economy by keeping valuable materials in use longer and complements mechanical recycling by expanding the types of materials that can be recycled.

Key Takeaways:

• Eastman’s Kingsport, Tennessee, facility has achieved ISO 59014 certification, valid through March 1, 2029, with annual surveillance audits to ensure traceability.
• The certificate covers Eastman’s material-to-material methanolysis recycling technology at Kingsport.
• ISO 59014 establishes global principles, requirements, and guidance for sustainability and traceability in the recovery of secondary materials, emphasizing responsible, lifecycle-based circularity.
• Certification was conducted by SCS Global Services, a leading third-party leader in sustainability auditing and verification with more than 40 years of experience.

“Achieving ISO 59014 certification is an important milestone for Eastman because it reinforces what our customers, communities and stakeholders expect when it comes to transparency, traceability and responsible practices across the recovery of secondary materials,” said Sandeep Bangaru, vice president and general manager of Eastman’s packaging and circular platform. “At our Kingsport site, we’re scaling material-to-material recycling technologies like methanolysis to break hard-to-recycle polyester waste down to its molecular building blocks so it can be made new again, supporting a more circular future without compromising performance. This independent certification recognizes the rigor behind our approach and helps build confidence in verified, accountable circular solutions.”

ISO 59014:2024 sets the international standard for organizations engaged in the responsible recovery and traceability of secondary materials — covering collection, sorting, classification, and other non-destructive recycling and recovery activities. The standard emphasizes transparent traceability, responsible resource management, and safe working conditions throughout the recycling process. It is applicable to organizations of any size implementing systematic, circular-economy frameworks, and excludes energy recovery, and disposal. An audit to this standard can provide confidence that the audited party is ensuring proper controls are in place to keep the community around them safe, while engaging in important steps to ensure circularity of materials.

“Eastman’s achievement reflects a serious, sustained commitment to circularity and responsible material recovery,” said Veronica Vazquez, program director for ISO Integrated Management Systems at SCS Global Services. “We are proud to support their leadership in building recovery systems that are transparent, accountable, and grounded in lifecycle science.”

Eastman is committed to advancing a circular economy by helping keep hard-to-recycle plastic waste out of landfills and the environment and turning it into new materials through material-to-material recycling. Eastman’s methanolysis operation at its Kingsport site complements mechanical recycling by processing polyester materials that are difficult to mechanically recycle and converting them into monomers that can be used to make new products with virgin-quality performance.

About Eastman