May 9, 2008 - Kingsport, Tenn.--Top designer Yves Behar and his San Francisco-based firm, fuseproject, have partnered with Thomas Arndt to create an unconventional Y-shaped bottle for Y Water, a new organic, low-calorie drink for children, using Eastman Eastar EB062 copolyester from Eastman Chemical Company.

Featured on Eastman’s award-winning Innovation Lab website--www.eastmaninnovationlab.com--the Y bottle's symmetrical shape is designed to appeal to elementary school children, who can re-use the package as a toy, building block, or game. Initially available at southern California stores of Whole Foods, the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods, Y Water will be offered throughout the United States by mid-2008.

"We're taking a completely unconventional approach to building a beverage company by adopting packaging and communication tactics that are design-driven," says Behar. "We're using design to create a message that is the core of the brand."

"Packaging is the hero of the Y Water brand," says Thomas Arndt, president of Y Water: "The Y bottle truly helps to differentiate our products by engaging consumers in a way that is completely unexpected."

Available in four flavors that underscore the essential elements of a child’s health--Bone Water, Brain Water, Immune Water and Muscle Water--Y Water does not contain preservatives, artificial coloring or sweeteners, a key benefit for parents seeking healthy options for their children. The healthy nature of the product is further underscored by the small nine-ounce size, providing easy portion-control.

Beyond the grown-up appeal, the unique package design was created with children in mind. The bold, geometrical shape--inspired by an upside-down, three-dimensional Y--was enabled by the unique blow-molding characteristics of Eastman Eastar copolyester. Offering water-like clarity, this material was able to provide the wall-thickness necessary to withstand Y Water’s 185-degree F hot-fill process and the durability to withstand rough handling and reuse by children.

The package's shelf impact is further maximized by biodegradable hang tags placed around the bottle neck. Featuring cartoon-like drawings and humorous text such as, "Bone Water ... because you don't want your skeleton walking out on you," the tags communicate Y Water's youthful and fun brand essence.

"The beauty of the Y Water package goes much deeper than its distinctive three-dimensional Y shape," says Courtland Jenkins, industry leader, food beverage and consumer packaging at Eastman. "The Y Water package itself is the culmination of a new approach to packaging that incorporates shelf presentation, the concept of reusability and functionality that resonates and connects with the consumer."

The playfulness of Y Water is further conveyed with its capability to be reused as a toy or building blocks. Natural rubber connectors called "Y Knots" allow end-users to connect different packages into molecule-like formations. The reusability of the Y Water package as a creative medium for children prolongs the useful life of the package, making it a more sustainable concept.

"When looking for a low-calorie, organic drink for our own kids, my wife and I came up empty handed," says Thomas Arndt, president of Y Water. "Obesity is a major problem among kids, and we wanted to create a beverage that can positively influence them about the importance of staying healthy."

About Y Water

Y Water Inc., founded by Thomas Arndt, is a science-based company committed to pursuing and leveraging academic research on the proven health benefits of vitamins and minerals to develop great tasting and nutritious beverages for children. Created by a team of highly regarded professionals from the worlds of design, food science and advertising, Y Water is poised to redefine the children's beverage market and create a new paradigm that encourages smart design and a productive afterlife for product packaging.

About Yves Behar

Yves Behar is the founder of the San Francisco design studio, fuseproject. Yves' focus is on humanistic design, tapping into the "giving" element of the creative profession, with the goal of creating projects deeply in-tune with the needs of a sustainable future, connected with human emotions, and self-expressive. Most recently, he and his firm have designed the world’s first $100 laptop titled One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), aimed at bringing education and technology to the world’s poorest children. Yves' commercial projects, whether it is a small venture or a large corporate program, is studied for its innovation and impact. This is exemplified with projects such as the Herman Miller LEAF Lamp, the Aliph Jawbone and Y Water.

Yves' work has been the subject of two solo exhibitions and resides in the permanent collections of international museums worldwide, including the MOMA and the Musee d’Art Moderne/Pompidou Center. He is the recipient of numerous design awards, including the prestigious National Design Award for Industrial Design, awarded by Cooper-Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum, and the INDEX award for Community (OLPC). Yves is also the chair of the Industrial Design program at CCA in San Francisco.

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.