Eastman Innovation Lab and Kor One

The inaugural Strategic Marketing and eMarketing in the Chemical Industry event finished yesterday.  It was a terrific couple of days and I made great connections with some of the leading marketers in the industry.  Every presentation was valuable, and I've spent much of today pouring through my notes digesting all the presentations, conversations and follow ups.

I was really inspired by Gaylon White's story from Eastman Chemical about the Eastman Innovation Lab.  Eastman believes that amazing things can happen when you better connect materials with design, and they are showcasing many of their success stories online.

Gaylon talked about how they approached the lab, and some of the successful design partnerships.  One of his stories was about the recently launched KOR ONE Hydration Vessel (or connect on the KOR blog), which uses Eastman's Tritan Copolyester.

Gaylon brought his KOR ONE vessel to the conference, and you really can't help but want one after seeing it.  In fact, I ordered two online this morning.  Gaylon - you are a great sales person and didn't even know it...or maybe you did. :-)

Eastman's approach with the lab is truly innovative, and if you get a chance to hear Gaylon tell the story, it's well worth your time.

The chemical industry drives many innovations throughout the value chain, but the value they deliver doesn't always gain them recognition and awareness with end consumers. 

I wonder...

In this new sustainability world where the use of materials can differentiate both the design and the success of the end product, will the chemical industry start to capture some of that broader recognition for their sustainable innovations?  I'm quite sure I'm not the only one thinking about this...

Pretty cool stuff all-around this week...

-Brian