Eastman completes further expansion of non-phthalate plasticizer facility at Kingsport

25-Feb-11

Eastman Chemical Company has successfully completed a further expansion of its manufacturing capacity for Eastman 168™ non-phthalate plasticizer at its Kingsport, Tenn., USA, facility. A versatile non-phthalate plasticizer for PVC,Eastman 168™ has a long and growing track record of regulatory approvals. It has been demonstrated to be a ready, drop-in replacement for some of the most widely used ortho-phthalate plasticizers that are experiencing regulatory pressure in markets around the world. It finds particular utility in sensitive applications where brand owners are looking for compliance and differentiation, while continuing to provide the same high-performance products for their customers. “Eastman168™ non-phthalate plasticizer has a history of safe use by manufacturers of consumer products since it was introduced by Eastman more than 30 years ago,” says Dr. Steve Cullen, business manager for plasticizer strategy, Eastman. This capacity debottleneck will allow increased production of the non-phthalate plasticizer in response to the continuing growth in global customer demand. The approximate 10 percent increase in capacity came on stream at the end of 2010. “We have seen a rapidly growing demand for Eastman™168 non-phthalate plasticizer in toys, childcare articles, medical devices and a wide range of other consumer applications worldwide, that has led us to increase our supply capacity,” says Cullen. “We believe that Eastman168 is clearly proving to be the best non-phthalate plasticizer on the market today.”