Name: Eastman CEO says sustainability is a “huge innovation opportunity”
Uploaded: 2023-01-11
Duration: 8 min 47 s
Description: Mark Costa sees other CEOs “very serious about climate change” and taking “aggressive actions to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Mark Costa sees other CEOs “very serious about climate change” and taking “aggressive actions to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Eastman CEO says sustainability is a “huge innovation opportunity”

Leadership

Eastman CEO: sustainability is “huge innovation opportunity”

mark. It's great to see you two talk about Eastman company and all the things that's doing with climate change issues. It's interesting that the Eastman story goes back more than 100 years. You are actually part of Kodak. Tell us about the company's business back then and what it's doing now. Well, Eastman does have a really long history over 100 years and we're incredibly proud of it. We started making polymer for films and processing chemicals and over time dramatically diversified a wide range of products off of these core technology platforms where we're world leaders today, we make a variety of sustainable materials that touch everyday life, whether it's in appliances or electronics or cars or homes or additives and coatings or personal care. We're a very diverse company, but all centered on sustainability as our core. Well, you are a big believer in solving the plastic waste crisis and you're using what's called molecular recycling technology and I'm not sure I have this alright. But basically you're taking waste plastics, you're recycling them and you're turning them into a form of new plastics that can be reused. Tell us a little bit more how that works. We're really excited about our technology, which complements what happens today, which is mechanical recycling, where they just take clean bottles, wash them, chop them up and melt them, but they have limitations, you know, our quality on degradation. So we step in with our technology where we can use chemistry to unzip polymer back to building blocks purified and make the virgin polymer all over again. We can do it at a lower carbon footprint. So we're improving the climate and improving plastic waste and susie. It's really important when you think about this because a lot of people say just banned plastic sounds good. But the challenges plastics incredibly energy efficient. So if you want to switch to glass, that's four times the energy than a plastic bottle or two times for aluminum. So what we're doing is essential to really build a future for climate and plastic waste. And it's not just plastic bottles that you're doing. I understand it's all kinds of things, carpeting, building materials, shrink wrap, your recycling all that hard to recycle stuff. Right. Exactly. So mechanical recycling can only really use very clean feedstock because they're just washing it. When we unzip it, we can use all of what you said, the textiles carpet, fiber, you know, all kinds of packaging that's dirty. Uh and and give that all an infinite life. And what's important is what we do is like aluminum recycling. It's infinite. We can do it forever, even improving the quality, mechanical recycling that degrades over time. So, it's a perfect partnership that we try and create with them. So how would you describe the progress and contributions that Eastman has made so far? I'm incredibly proud of our team. How we've dealt with chaos that we're all going through from pandemics supply chain crisis and really developing our sustainable platforms or circular platform in particular. We now have three projects that we're developing. We have one that we completing in King's sport, one that we announced early this year with President Macron, that will be the largest billion dollar investment in France. Now a third one base loaded by France by Pepsi, that will be building somewhere here in the U. S. And when you put that together, it's $2 billion investment, $450 million of it. But it's a significant event that's change that will change the company and really prove to the world Circular economy recycling is scalable and can solve these problems. Probably you've been collaborating with the United Nations climate group was called Cop 27, it held summit recently. Is it making meaningful progress? I think it is. I think what was encouraging about the last meeting, even though there's been some criticism of it is I think they started to have some practical conversation, you know, the challenges of this are huge around climate that involves countries companies, consumers. But it also got a wake up call with the Ukraine war and the crisis they're now facing the energy to say this is a little more complicated making the transition and things like natural gas need to be part of that transition for a long period of time. But it's a complicated conversation that requires, you know, really understand the tradeoffs and the time it's going to take. How would you rate what Ceo and businesses are doing when it comes to climate action? I think we see great alignment with the brands that we work with, the peers in our industry, where everyone is very serious about climate and taking aggressive actions to improve their carbon footprint. I also think the circular economy and what we're doing there is a great example of collaboration. The brands are essential that uh and it really helps them not just get waste out of the environment, but dramatically lower their carbon footprint. So you see people like Pepsi Base holding our third plant, Procter and Gamble LVMH Loreal, Black and Decker, a wide range of customers that are signing up committing to these very aggressive sustainability goals. So we see great engagement and I think that's what's going to take to build this future. It's interesting that the former Ceo of Unilever recently told fortune that climate is no longer a peripheral issue, it's the absolute core of sharp business strategy. How do you respond to that? And how do you think most businesses feel about it? Do they agree or not just yet? I think most businesses agree. I know we do right at the center of our history is being innovation driven, but now it has this extreme, extreme sort of sustainability lens put on everything we do. You know, my team, I told them when I became Ceo innovate or die, um that's how you survive in this industry and now it's even more existential than that. I think those who center on sustainable materials and sustainable practices are going to exist and grow and thrive in the future. And frankly those who don't won't be around anymore. So I think we view it as core our moral purpose in our center of how we think about growth and success and value creation. Well, Mark you have and advocating a strategy of sustainable innovation over the past nine years, pretty much since you became Ceo and you said it's more than a business purpose. It's a moral purpose. Tell us what you mean by that, What is your thinking? I think that at the core of any successful company, you have to have a moral compass that engages and excites everyone every day for why they show up. They don't show up because shareholder value of the stock price is exciting, they show up because they want to make sure they're making an impact on the world. And I think where we're at and how we focused on really driving on the sustainability trends, especially in today's world, allows everyone to feel highly engaged. Now, enhancing the quality of life and material way is our mantra. It's our moral purpose. But underneath of that is improving the quality of products, improving our impact on the environment. And I'll tell you it's it's a great way to attract talent, get them excited and retain them. What motivated you to take Eastman in this direction? Well, for me, I saw the world evolving very quickly in the last decade, especially the last four years around how we impact the environment and still need to really improve the quality for many people around the world and how to do that is a huge opportunity. Most people in our industry think of it as a threat to their business, we viewed it as a huge innovation opportunity, you know, our industry frankly hasn't had that much innovation in the last couple of decades and this creates an entirely new innovation curve where we can come up with sustained material sustainable additives and make a huge impact on the world. Well, I understand that your leadership on this is also rubbing off on that your two sons are now considering to having careers that have to do with climate change. So how do you feel about that? I feel great. I mean I've always been an adventure sport addict and my kids have followed too, so we do a lot of mountain biking skiing, a lot of different water sports and they love that, but in that environment, whether you're in the mountains or the oceans, you can see the impact we're having on the environment and they certainly like to point it out and say, dad, you run a materials company, what are you doing to make the world a better place? And they've got very excited about. I can't tell you how many projects I've done with them, uh an entrepreneur classes and economics classes about products that they want to launch that will be more sustainable. So it's become a family business at this stage. Well, that's fantastic. Well, your leadership has been transformative and in fact, Eastman ranks unfortunate change the world list. These are companies that are making meaningful changes for the world. So when the day comes that you leave Eastman, what do you want people to describe as your leadership? I think right now we're at an incredible time in our industry, a time of challenge to innovate and solve huge environmental challenges and still improve everyone's quality of life. And I think the leadership I've been able to provide to build a company centered on that, to be innovation driven to focus on sustainable materials and really solve these challenges. It's a huge legacy and a game changing event for our industry and in the Foundation, I hope I've built a company, an employee base that is engaged, excited, diverse and inclusive, that's really able around the world to implement this strategy and really differentiate us from many in our industry.