Eastman has developed a plasticizer that meets the EPA’s Safer Choice program criteria — an industry first, according to the chemical company.
A plasticizer is a chemical substance that is added to another material, usually a plastic, to make it flexible, resilient and easier to handle.
The most common are phthalate-based plasticizers, which represented more than 75 percent share in the global plasticizers market, according to Persistence Market Research. However, government regulations and increasing health concerns — phthalates are toxic to humans and the environment, according to the EPA — are stimulating the demand for bio-plasticizers and safer chemicals, which are a growing market trend.
