Environmental group has major concerns about Eastman Chemicals plastic recycling process [Video]

Note: Eastman Chemical Company’s first “molecular recycling” facility is now fully operational in Kingsport. It uses a process called methanolysis to reduce hard-to-recycle waste plastic to its original molecular state for reuse in plastic production. Eastman expects the main end product, recycled “DMT,” to capture large market share in durable plastic and packaging sectors because it removes plastic from the waste stream and makes progress toward a “sustainable economy.” News Channel 11 got an exclusive first look around the facility and brings you this and several related stories.

KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WJHL) — While Eastman Chemical’s molecular recycling technology may have won company leaders the ears of regulators and the favor of brands wanting to woo eco-conscious consumers, not everyone is convinced the benefits are so clear.

“They’re trying to come up with something that seems like a solution but isn’t,” National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Director of Plastics and Petrochemical …