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By Frank Esposito
SENIOR STAFF REPORTER
Published: July 25, 2013 2:05 pm ET
A federal jury has ruled in favor of Eastman Chemical Co. in a lawsuit over claims surrounding the firm’s Tritan-brand copolyester.
The jury in Austin, Texas, ruled that Austin-based PlastiPure Inc. and its sister firm CertiChem Inc. had made false and misleading statements about Tritan, Eastman officials said in a July 24 news release.
Eastman “continues to uphold its reputation of rigorous testing using independent third-party studies that prove Tritan is free of estrogenic activity,” officials added.
In the lawsuit — filed in January 2012 — Eastman alleged that PlastiPure and CertiChem had told customers that Tritan did show estrogenic activity, even though the material does not contain bisphenol-A.
Tritan is marketed as a replacement for polycarbonate, which is made using BPA.
Kingsport, Tenn.-based Eastman had asked the court to prevent PlastiPure and CertiChem from making estrogenic activity claims against Tritan in any way, including advertising or promotions.
“The real winners are consumers who value reliable, accurate information and want safe products for their families,” Eastman specialty plastics vice president and general manager Lucian Boldea said in the release. Officials with PlastiPure/CertiChem could not be reached for comment.
Eastman has annual sales of around $9 billion and employs 14,000 worldwide. | |
