Imaginary City Engages and Inspires Visitors

Kingsport, Tenn. (April 15, 2008) - Building upon its award-winning Innovation Lab website --  www.eastmaninnovationlab.com - Eastman Chemical Company has launched a new Building and Construction section with an imaginary city that showcases how Eastman™ materials are being utilized in real applications.

With a mission to connect, engage and inspire, the B&C portal features dynamic photographs, video clips and interactive navigation.  The so-called "cityscape" is aimed at architects, interior designers and design engineers seeking information and inspiration on innovative material solutions.

"The addition of the B&C section to the Innovation Lab demonstrates Eastman's presence in this market as well as its desire to provoke architects and designers to think differently about materials," said Gaylon White, director of design industry programs for Eastman. "Entering the imaginary city in the B&C section is a step into a world where you can begin to see the possibilities for Eastman's broad portfolio of materials."

With examples ranging from the restoration of a national symbol - Mexico's Angel of Independence - to the creative use of plastics in a Chicago hotel ballroom, the B&C portal is a personification of an industry that is the foundation of modern society. The million-dollar stair landscape designed by Thomas Heatherwick of the United Kingdom for the French retailer Longchamp's flagship store in New York City is showcased along with a grid-like plastic barrier developed by Geocell Systems of San Francisco as a flood and fortification wall. "These are applications that are making a difference," White said.

The new B&C section is "some fantastic storytelling" according to one visitor to the website, adding: "It's like taking a site tour, a factory tour and an office tour in the 15-20 minutes it takes to load and read."

Since its launch in March of 2004, the Innovation Lab website has more than 5,800 registered users ranging from designers to brand managers. The goal of the website is to bridge the knowledge gap that has traditionally separated the design and material worlds. With the launch of the B&C portal, the Eastman Innovation Lab continues its quest to do things differently and better.

About Eastman Chemical Company

Eastman manufactures and markets chemicals, fibers and plastics worldwide.  It provides key differentiated coatings, adhesives and specialty plastics products; is a major supplier of cellulose acetate fibers; and produces PET polymers for packaging.  As a Responsible Care® company, Eastman is committed to achieving the highest standards of health, safety, environmental and security performance.  Founded in 1920 and headquartered in Kingsport, Tenn., Eastman is a FORTUNE 500 company with 2007 sales of $6.8 billion and approximately 10,500 employees.  For more information about Eastman and its products, visit www.eastman.com or contact Garrett Wilburn, global trade media relations, at +1-423-229-2353 or globalmediarelations@eastman.com.