Eastman Chemical Company has announced it will join Together for Sustainability (TfS). Eastman and TfS have confirmed acceptance of Eastman’s application to the consortium as the first U.S.-based company to join, with plans to finalize Eastman’s membership in early 2015.

Together for Sustainability is a procurement-led initiative established by European-based multinational companies to drive improvements in sustainable procurement through standard processes, including shared audits and assessments. As a global specialty chemical company with significant business in Europe, Eastman has been working closely with TfS to understand membership requirements to expand the organization to U.S.-based companies. Mike Berry, Eastman’s Chief Procurement Officer (CPO), will represent Eastman on the TfS General Assembly as well as in the CPO Meetings.

“At Eastman, we are committed to sustainable procurement and supply chain management,” Berry said. “Joining TfS is a natural step for Eastman as we move forward in our efforts to continually assess and improve our environmental impact and sustainable business practices. We have already implemented a number of the TfS principles into our supply chain operations. This membership provides opportunity to collaborate with other companies, making a difference across the industry.” Eastman has a long history of sustainably-focused operations. For more than 25 years, Eastman has been a leader in Responsible Care. For the past three years, Eastman has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year, winning the Sustained Excellence Award in 2014. Eastman’s commitment to sustainability crosses all businesses and functions, notably its Integrated Global Supply Chain encompassing procurement, logistics and supply chain execution.

As senior vice president of Eastman’s Global Supply Chain and Chief Regional and Sustainability Officer, Godefroy Motte, emphasizes the importance of embedding sustainability across the value chain.

“Creating collaboration along the value chain is an important theme among leaders of sustainability in terms of understanding both your suppliers and customers,” Motte said. “This collaboration can only be achieved if all partners are taking courageous leadership. TfS is a platform that brings those leaders together to understand what our customers and consumers need, and how we as upstream suppliers can influence change in the marketplace.”

As part of Eastman’s commitment to TfS, the company will continue to support the principles of UN Global Compact and Responsible Care, engage suppliers and other stakeholders to advance sustainable development, report sustainability performance, address stakeholder concerns about sustainable aspects in the supply chain, and operate in accordance with industry codes and applicable laws and regulations.