Mark Costa on Middle East conflict impact
From The Middle East conflict has a ‘significant CONSTRAINT’ on plastics, says Eastman Chemical CEO · · Fox Business
“The Middle East situation is a severe issue with the manufacturing world and chemicals and plastics made from oil or natural gas. And as you said, Middle East is has constraint on it. This creates net opportunity for earnings growth for us, whether in technology or core. It creates an opportunity, you think about all of the talk about pricing increases in oil, that is and some recognition of shortages for AG, you are right people are missing impact on volume shock side of manufacturing and materials that our industry makes for it. We are positioned to be a winner in this technology.”
On , Mark Costa, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer at Eastman Chemical Co, spoke about Middle East conflict impact during The Middle East conflict has a ‘significant CONSTRAINT’ on plastics, says Eastman Chemical CEO on Fox Business.
About Mark Costa
Mark Costa, Chairman and CEO of Eastman Chemical, appeared on Fox Business on May 12, 2026, to discuss the impact of the Middle East conflict on global petrochemical markets. Costa stated that the situation in the Middle East is a "severe issue" for manufacturing and the chemicals and plastics sectors, creating a "significant constraint" on supply. He described this as a "net opportunity for earnings growth" for Eastman, citing the company's technology and core operations. Costa said Eastman has raised prices by $500 million in the current quarter on its $9 billion in revenue to keep up with raw material, specialty, and distribution costs. He noted that customers have not pushed back, as the entire industry is raising prices "faster than I have seen in 20 years." Costa added that while price increases may take months to reach consumer products, he is more concerned about a "volume shock" where manufacturers may be unable to produce goods. He expressed confidence that Eastman would improve margins and generate strong cash flow starting in the current quarter.