Eastman Chemical Company named in lawsuit

Eastman Chemical Company is among several defendants in a federal class action lawsuit that claims chemical companies misled the public for decades about the recyclability of plastics, which exacerbated the “plastic waste crisis.” Ford County, Kansas filed the lawsuit late last month against companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Dupont, Dow Chemical, Eastman, and others. The lawsuit claims that despite knowing that most plastics cannot be recycled, the industry touted recycling as a solution to plastic waste to appease consumers and regulators, which increased consumer demand and allowed the industry to avoid new regulations. This “profit-driven” campaign, the lawsuit argues, led to increased plastic production and more waste for communities like Ford County, Kansas to process.