Sustainable resins for paints and coatings

Changing market landscape is putting more emphasis on sustainable coatings. Many big players are now listening to consumers whose demand for sustainable products adhering with stringent regulations, is on the rise. An Allied Market Research report on “green coatings” market estimates that the market garnered $84.67 billion in 2017, and is estimated to reach $118.99 billion by 2023, growing annually by as much as 5.8% from 2017 to 2023. Advancements in coating technology and increase in usage of radiation cure coatings create new opportunities in the industry. The report further stated that waterborne coatings dominated the market in 2017 and is expected to remain so up to 2023 due to the preference for waterborne coatings over solvent based coatings that releases high VOC content. However, radiation cure coatings segment is expected to register the highest growth of 8.3% from 2017 to 2023, owing to better surface properties along with low energy cost and fast curing that lead to wide adoption.  

 

Architectural coatings accounted for more than two-fifths of the total market share in 2017 and will maintain its leadership status by 2023. Moreover, this segment is expected to register the highest growth rate of 6.2% from 2017 to 2023. This segment is lucrative segment due to widespread usage in the construction industry, preference of consumers for environment friendly coatings, and expanding product portfolio by manufacturers.  

 

Eco-friendly, yet decorative 

Royal DSM is set to reveal its sustainable strategy, targets by showcasing its innovative, sustainable coating resins solutions for the decorative paints and coatings market during the European Coatings Show (ECS), slated to take place from March 19-21.  In line with DSM’s commitment to supporting healthier living, combating climate change and creating circular solutions, spotlight products are bio-based, contain no substances of concern and contribute zero VOC emissions. DSM will launch the latest additions to its Decovery® portfolio at the show.

 

“We at DSM are proud of our sustainable solutions for the coating industry. We take our responsibility for this matter seriously and that is why we work with our customers and other players in the value chain. Together, we develop and implement solutions that benefit society. Being sustainable means safeguarding healthy living, by reducing hazardous substances and VOCs released in the environment; combating climate change, by limiting energy use and carbon emissions; and creating circular solutions, by using renewable raw materials and designing for recyclability,” according to Helen Mets, President at DSM Resins & Functional Materials.

 

Building on its organisational ambitions to ‘create brighter lives for all’, DSM’s portfolio of resins for decorative paints and coatings are setting the standard for sustainability and lower environmental impact. Whether used for coating kitchens, walls, chairs and tables inside a house or office, or garden and children’s furniture, DSM’s resins are enabling higher performance standards when it comes to durability, aesthetic qualities, and overall environmental impact.

 

Decovery® is a family of eco-friendly coating resin solutions with a difference: it’s plant-based. The Decovery® portfolio reduces the environmental impact and sets new standards for protecting the natural beauty of materials– all while enabling self-matting formulations. A second new addition to the Decovery® family is a durable and multipurpose acrylic resin. This is opening up new coating horizons due to its very high water and humidity resistance combined with excellent elastic properties and minimum water uptake.

 

DSM Decovery® is a family of eco-friendly coating resin solutions with a difference

 

Multifunctional additives for paint formulation 

Clariant highlighted its innovative portfolio that focuses on solutions for water-based architectural coatings and enables the manufacture of paints to comply with ecolabel criteria at a customer symposium held in Gujarat, India on November 30, 2018.  Under the theme: ‘Additives for Paints & Coatings, Expertise For The Big Picture’, Clariant invited customers to showcase solutions that are simplified, yet enhance sustainability aspects that meet the market needs and conform to the latest regulatory requirements.

 

As the domestic market continues to grow, Clariant offers tailor-made products and optimised solutions to satisfy the specific needs of the local market. Key products and solutions featured at the customer symposium include Emulsogen LCN 118 that can be used as compatibiliser to improve tinting strength and to reduce rub-out, water absorption and haze effects. It is low VOC, free of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEO), readily biodegradable, easy to handle (liquid material; soluble in water) and FDA approved. Another product is Nipacide®, which provides excellent preservation adjusted to the paints and coatings industry's needs, with in-can and dry-film preservation for water and solvent based paints; while Genamin® NT 018 is a cost-effective pH neutralising agent for low odor, waterborne paints. It is a suitable replacement for ammonia and other neutralizing agents such as aminomethyl propanol (AMP). Genamin NT 018 meets all performance parameters in terms of pH stability, low odour, freeze thaw stability, controlled colour properties, controlled gloss and opacity, stable viscosity and scrub resistance.

 

Gautam Kanthadai, Head-Sales and Application Development, Industrial and Consumer Specialties - India, said, “Gujarat is a strategic market for Clariant’s Paints & Coatings business which is part of BU Industrial and Consumer Specialties. Our innovative and sustainable solutions like Emulsogen and Genamin offer best-in-class performance. Our solutions help meet our customers needs to fill in specific gaps for efficiency in production process and reduce the formulation complexity.”

 

Gautam Kanthadai, Head-Sales and Application Development, Industrial and Consumer Specialties - India  

 

Clariant has also been developing colours and additives o help decorative, industrial and automotive coatings make a sustainable difference to the various elements of the urbanisation megatrend: homes, buildings, construction, transport and lifestyle products. In addition, the colours of the future for automotive exteriors are ready to be explored with the launch of Clariant’s new Automotive Styling Shades Trendbook 2021-2023.

 

For the paints and coatings industry, Clariant provides safer, easier to use, sustainable solutions for homes, buildings & construction. It has a new sustainable 2-in-1 dispersion additive for manufacturing safer, easier to apply, biocide-free formulations that are suitable for ecolabeled indoor paints for home and building decoration. Another additive is a new dispersant for waterborne organic and selective inorganic pigment and carbon black concentrates, offering enhanced colours, improved storage stability, low foaming and easier formulation. Sustainable wax additive based on 100% renewable resources, providing smooth touch and high scratch resistance to wood and offering enhanced pigment dispersion is offered to increase colour strength of powder coatings.

 

Clariant EcoTain® certified light stabilisers for waterborne coatings, suitable for plastic, clearcoat and architectural façade coatings, combines sustainability and performance; while the non-halogenated flame retardants – colourless key ingredient for transparent intumescent wood coatings, suitable on dark and light coloured wood - meet stringent fire regulations for public building applications, and ingredients for steel prolonging the shelf-life of water-based intumescent coatings and improving safety under challenging weather conditions.