Climate Policy Engagement Analysis
Climate Lobbying Overview: Eastman Chemical Corporation (Eastman) engages somewhat actively on climate policy, with particularly negative advocacy on circular economy regulations in the United States and European Union.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Eastman communicates positive top-line positions on climate action. In its 2023 Sustainability Report from November 2023, the company recognizes the connection between decarbonization, plastic waste and the effects of climate change. In its Comments on the EPA’s Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution in July 2023, Eastman appeared to hold an unclear position towards circular economy regulations as a way to reach net zero.In February 2024, Eastman’s CEO signed the Antwerp Declaration, which entails revising existing legislation under the EU Green Deal and avoiding implementing detailed regulation.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Eastman demonstrates largely negative engagement with specific climate change measures. The company’s CEO, during the Earnings Call Transcript from Q4 2023, stated top-line support for packaging regulations. However, company's direct engagement with policymakers appears to caveat its support with major exceptions. On the Feedback to EU policymakers on the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation in April 2023, Eastman advocated for prioritizing recycling without mentioning measures for reduction or reuse of packaging waste. In a meeting in March 2025 with EU Deputy Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Roswall, the company called for scaling up chemical recycling in misalignment with IPCC recommendations. Similar unsupportive positions were found in the US on the EPA's Draft National Strategy to Prevent Plastic Pollution, where on its comments Eastman issued major caveats around its support for circular economy regulation, stressing the importance of strengthening recycling to respond to the plastic crisis without acknowledging related trade-offs.
Positioning on Energy Transition: Eastman Chemical’s engagement with the energy transition leans negative. In a C2ES Permitting Letter to Congressional Leadership from July 2023, the company directly advocated for permitting reform but did not specify its position on different energy sources within the energy mix. In its March 2024 Comments to the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on implementing IRA’s clean energy credits, Eastman seemed to suggest a weakening of the credits through including fossil fuels, advocating that combined heat and power generation should qualify as clean energy. In the EU, on the Antwerp Declaration from February 2024, the company indicated support for scaling up low-carbon, renewable, and nuclear energy, though it was unclear if this was aligned with IPCC standards.
Industry Association Governance: Eastman Chemical's corporate website discloses a list of industry associations to which it pays annual dues exceeding $50,000, without detailing its role in these groups, the policy positions of the groups, or how its own positions align. It discloses similar detail in its 2023 CDP response. Eastman is a member of the American Chemistry Council, a highly negative industry group which in March 2024 through a Letter to President Biden advocated for a less ambitious UN Plastics Treaty. It is also a member of the European Chemical Industry Council, which in a press release from September 2024 conditioned its support for climate regulations on maintaining national and regional competitiveness.
InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q3 2025.