Eastman Launches Tritan Renew: Up to 50% Recycled Content Meets Original Tritan’s Performance

Eastman is launching Tritan Renew, a copolyester that matches the original Tritan’s durability, performance, and safety while incorporating up to 50 % recycled content.

Eastman’s Tritan Renew is produced using Advanced Circular Recycling technologies—Carbon Renewal Technology (CRT) and Polyester Renewal Technology (PRT). These processes repurpose waste plastic as raw material, reducing fossil‑fuel consumption and cutting greenhouse‑gas emissions.

"It’s a product that has the same performance as the regular Tritan but delivers on the sustainability expectations for our customers," says Courtland Jenkins, Commercial Director of Eastman Specialty Plastics. "Customers using Tritan can switch to Tritan Renew quickly and without compromising quality.”

Since 2019, Eastman has operated commercial‑scale recycling for a broad range of plastics, keeping material out of landfills, incinerators, and the environment. Its molecular recycling technology can restore waste plastic to its molecular form indefinitely.

Polyester Renewal Technology (PRT)

Tritan Renew is manufactured via PRT. Jenkins explains, "We take waste plastic, feed it into existing manufacturing assets, break it down into basic building blocks, and remove impurities. The result is material that is chemically identical to virgin copolyester.”

Using PRT with recycled feedstock is expected to cut greenhouse‑gas emissions by up to 8 % compared to virgin‑material Tritan.

The company leverages the existing waste collection, sortation, and distribution infrastructure, tapping a readily available stream of feedstock. "This first‑generation technology allows us to gauge market demand and refine our processes," Jenkins notes.

Market Potential

Tritan Renew is already certified for a variety of durable products, including reusable sports bottles, small appliances, food‑storage containers, eyewear, and cosmetics packaging. Nalgene will soon offer bottles with 50 % recycled Tritan Renew. Recycled content is verified through a mass‑balance allocation process certified by ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification).

Current Tritan applications—particularly in cosmetics, where reusability is rising—stand to benefit from the new material. Additionally, medical devices and packaging represent a growing opportunity, with Eastman’s technology meeting stringent sustainability criteria without compromising compliance.