SÃO PAULO, Brazil
As the world continues to combat coronavirus spread, Eastman is continuing to do what it can to help. The company is partnering with Suntech Supplies, a manufacturer of sunglasses, prescription glasses, and safety glasses, to produce and donate protective goggles to help ensure the safety of frontline healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals throughout Brazil.
To enable production, Eastman is providing Suntech with a donation of Eastman Trēva™ engineering bioplastic, a high-quality cellulose-based thermoplastic. It offers excellent chemical resistance and versatility. Trēva ensures longer durability while offering better comfortability than other plastics. Plus, Trēva contains more than 40% biobased content derived from sustainably harvested trees.
"We want to ensure that these goggles have the best quality and offer high performance to health care professionals that will use them while battling to save lives," says Rogério Dias, sales manager of specialty plastics for Eastman in Latin America. "This initiative is part of Eastman's mission to collaborate and aid in the fight against this worldwide health challenge".
These essential PPE goggles were manufactured at Suntech's plant in Itupeva, in the countryside of São Paulo state, Brazil. "The idea was conceived when we realized that we could help the battle against coronavirus, since goggles are one of the scarcer pieces of equipment for health care professionals nowadays," says Suntech's industrial director José Ubaldo Lomonaco Neto.
The goggles are ready to donate and being distributed to hospitals in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Paraná, Piauí, Minas Gerais, and Rio Grande do Sul.
About Suntech Supplies
Suntech Supplies is a manufacturer of sunglasses, prescription glasses, and safety glasses and the maker of labels such as HB and Secret, which are sold mainly in the Brazilian market but also in other parts South America and some additional countries.
About Eastman
Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day. With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovation-driven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,500 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries. The company had 2019 revenues of approximately $9.3 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA.
Press contact
Allan Correia
Ketchum Brasil
11-5090-8900 Rm 8644
allan.bussons@ketchum.com.br
Luciana Aulicino
Ketchum Brasil
11-5090-8900 Rm 8730
luciana.aulicino@ketchum.com.br
