Eastman Chemical posts transcript of Q2 2026 earnings call

Eastman Chemical’s Q2 2026 earnings call drew CEO Mark Costa, CFO William McLain and IR head Gregory Riddle, along with analysts from Citi, UBS, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Mizuho, BofA and Jefferies.

• Costa said he does not expect a recovery in weak discretionary markets in 2H 2026, while stable markets should provide modest growth. He also said there has been no material demand hit yet from the Middle East war.
• Advanced Materials volumes are expected to be roughly flat sequentially in Q3, with year-on-year growth driven by innovation wins, the Renew ramp, utilization tailwinds and a favorable price-cost turn.
• Renew sales growth is expected to exceed $100 million in 2026, split evenly between specialty growth and rPET. The outlook was trimmed by slower demand and rPET supply constraints.
• Costa reiterated the Kingsport methanolysis first-asset target of $200 million EBITDA. He said plant yields are above 90%, debottleneck potential could lift capacity to 130%, and the next major spend has been pushed to 2028.