The global Eastman team proved it’s possible to reduce the material and food waste associated with large conferences through innovative thinking. Those efforts made the 2024 Global Innovation Summit (GIS) a net-positive event — and earned an award for sustainability from a Tennessee tourism association.
At the 28th annual Pinnacle Awards, held by the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association (NETTA), Eastman was named the Pinnacle award winner for sustainability. Visit Kingsport nominated Eastman’s GIS for the award, noting that the event “showcased the region’s commitment to sustainable innovation on a global stage and helped position Kingsport as a forward-thinking destination to conference attendees from across the world.”
Eastman held GIS in October 2024 at MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center in Kingsport, Tennessee. The event brought together 1,100 Eastman team members from around the globe for face-to-face seminars, poster sessions and networking to drive innovation. Conferences of this size tend to generate large amounts of waste — the average amount of daily waste at large conferences is 4.2 pounds per person.
That was far from the case at GIS. Through preconference planning and education, Eastman established a mindset of waste reduction through actions such as reusable items for food and beverages, cloth hand towels in restrooms and a digital app and digital signs to eliminate paper collateral. Food waste was minimal and what was not used was composted where possible.
As a result, GIS attendees produced an average of only 1.4 pounds of waste per person per day. Eastman scientist Katherine Hofmann was part of the GIS core planning team, designing and leading the sustainability components of the conference. She attended the NETTA event and accepted the Pinnacle award for Eastman. “It was really great to see the efforts of the entire GIS sustainability team and everyone's participation recognized by not only Visit Kingsport but judges who are community leaders across the country," Hofmann said. "It will be exciting to see how the local community and Eastman incorporate these concepts and activities into events moving forward.”
