Katherine Hofmann’s Eastman career didn’t happen by accident. The polymer scientist has a passion for sustainability and the environment. You could even say it’s in her genes.
“My mom worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, and we reused and recycled everything — I got in trouble if I threw away my Ziplocs® at school lunch,” Hofmann said. “Though none of this was called sustainability back in the day, it became core to who I am and my own values.”
Hofmann works on sustainability initiatives for the Eastman plastics division and its circular economy platform. She also works on special projects, including a conference in late 2024 that showed how Eastman integrates sustainability and innovation.
Cutting waste and emissions
For Eastman’s Global Innovation Summit (GIS), employees from throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and South America traveled to Kingsport, Tennessee. The opportunity for more than 1,000 people to share ideas was invaluable, but travel and resources for a weeklong conference had an impact.
“Because large conferences involve so many people, there tends to be significant material and food waste and unavoidable greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the travel, especially air travel,” Hofmann said. “We were determined to make this summit different.”
Hofmann led a team focused on sustainability and waste issues so the event could be net positive for waste and emissions. They knew planning could significantly reduce material and food waste. They also developed a plan to arrive at a net-positive result for GHG emissions and water consumption. To compensate for unavoidable water use, Eastman partnered with the nonprofit Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) on restoration of water flow to the San Saba River in Texas. BEF works with companies — including brands such as Danone and the National Hockey League — on water restoration and preservation projects to compensate for their water use.
Eastman’s climate strategy is built on foundational areas like renewable electricity, energy efficiency and breakthrough technologies, with a reduce-first mindset.
In alignment with the company’s corporate decarbonization strategies, Eastman purchased renewable energy certificates (RECs) for all conference activities at the convention center. Emissions were further reduced through carpooling, shuttle buses for off-campus events and a menu that excluded beef.
Still, studies show that approximately 90% of emissions at large conferences come from travel, especially air travel. So the Eastman net-positive team compensated by partnering with a company that safely destroys gases that are devastating to the ozone layer.
Compensating for unavoidable carbon emissions
In alignment with the company’s corporate decarbonization strategies, Eastman purchased renewable energy certificates (RECs) for all conference activities at the convention center. Emissions were further reduced through carpooling, shuttle buses for off-campus events and a menu that excluded beef.
Still, studies show that approximately 90% of emissions at large conferences come from travel, especially air travel. So the Eastman net-positive team compensated by partnering with a company that safely destroys gases that are devastating to the ozone layer.
Tradewater: a carbon compensation partner
Eastman worked with Tradewater, a company renowned for reducing GHG emissions. Eastman calculated the emissions associated with the conference, then Tradewater destroyed more than an equivalent amount of GHGs in the form of refrigerant gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons.
Tradewater collects old cylinders of these gases and safely incinerates them.
“Through our work with Tradewater, we were able to overcompensate for calculated GIS emissions so we can be sure it’s a net positive in terms of carbon footprint,” Hofmann said. “It’s an exciting partnership from a sustainability perspective. Harmful gases that would have leaked into the atmosphere will instead be safely destroyed because the GIS team found an innovative solution in partnering with Tradewater.”
To compensate for GHG emissions at a large conference, Eastman partnered with Tradewater -- a company that specializes in safely destroying old refrigerant gases so they don't leak into the atmosphere.
A plan to reduce waste
Eastman collaborated with Reduction in Motion, a sustainability consultant, on ways to reduce waste. By creating a conference app and using digital signs, printed materials were negligible. Reusable coffee cups and water bottles — instead of single-use items — were everywhere.
Material waste was sorted by Eastman volunteers so anything that could be recycled was recycled, including cardboard, aluminum and glass. Plastic waste was sent for recycling in Eastman’s nearby molecular recycling facility. The relatively small amount of food waste was sent to an industrial composting facility 20 minutes away in Johnson City, Tennessee.
At the end of the conference, almost 93% of all waste was diverted from landfill. At a conference this size, studies show the average participant generates 4.2 pounds of material waste. Through advanced planning and efforts of attendees, GIS participants generated on average 1.4 pounds of material waste per person.
