KINGSPORT, Tennessee., April 3, 2014 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Eastman Chemical Company (NYSE:EMN) with a 2014 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for continued leadership in superior energy management. Through its partnership with the ENERGY STAR program, Eastman has improved its energy performance, saved money and helped to protect the environment for future generations.

Eastman is the first chemical company to receive the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award, EPA’s highest ENERGY STAR award. Eastman was previously named ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2012 and 2013, the only chemical company to receive the award more than once. In choosing Eastman for its highest honor, the EPA recognized the company for the speed of maturity and richness of its energy management program.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by the EPA with the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award,” said Mark Costa, Chief Executive Officer of Eastman. “I could not be more proud of the men and women at Eastman who are committed to energy management. This recognition is confirmation of Eastman’s commitment to maintaining sustainable operations and innovating sustainable solutions.”

The ENERGY STAR program provides a proven energy management strategy that has helped Eastman achieve important reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Key accomplishments of Eastman’s award winning energy management program include:

• Improving energy intensity by nearly three percent, equating to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 310 million pounds. Since 2008, Eastman has improved intensity by nearly 8-percent.
• Growing the corporate capital energy budget to $8 million and allocating a $3.5 million expense budget for energy efficiency improvements. More than $2.5 million of this was spent repairing steam leaks, averaging a six month payback, which continues to be a shared and implemented best practice across the corporation.
• Integrating additional manufacturing sites into the corporate energy program.
• Working within the company’s energy value chain to educate suppliers and customers on energy efficiency and ENERGY STAR as well as conducting sustainability audits of 27 strategic suppliers.

“ENERGY STAR’s industrial program has been a wonderful resource for us to continue to grow and improve our energy management program,” said Sharon Nolen, manager of Eastman’s corporate energy program. “Working with other ENERGY STAR Partners allows us to exchange ideas and learn from each other, benefitting the environment for everyone.

“We want to be good stewards of our company, our environment and our world,” added Godefroy Motte, Eastman’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “Through its partnership with the ENERGY STAR program, Eastman has improved its energy performance, saved money and ensured success today and for future generations.

EPA’s annual ENERGY STAR Awards honor organizations that have made outstanding contributions to protecting the environment through superior energy efficiency. The award winners are selected from nearly 16,000 partners that participate in the ENERGY STAR program and will be recognized at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 29, 2014.