Eastman’s Tritan copolyester continues to make inroads in the consumer housewares market, gaining momentum through its mix of properties and public concerns over the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) in competitive material polycarbonate (PC). At NPE2009, Dante Rutstrom, VP and general manager of Eastman’s Specialty Plastics Business, said that since its launch in 2007, Tritan has signed on 90 OEMs to market their products as utilizing the copolyester, working to get the sort of brand recognition that made DuPont’s Teflon a household name. The company’s Ingredient Branding Program, which launched in August 2008, recently signed on Key Baby LLC and Lock&Lock.
![]() Eastman’s Tritan EX401 copolyester is being used by Weil Baby for its new line of injection stretch blowmolded baby bottles, which launch in North America this summer. |
Eastman also used NPE2009 to announce the launch of a new family of opaque blends through partner PolyOne based on Tritan to be called Edgetek EX. PolyOne says the blends are well suited for hand-held device applications and any products that need a durable housing, like GPS systems, binoculars, sporting goods, and more. Craig Nikrant, VP and general manager for specialty engineered materials at PolyOne, said the two companies entered into a strategic market-development agreement last year —[email protected]