Focus on sustainability: Companies struggle to switch to sustainable raw materials

Andreia Nogueira reports for PPCJ on the issues paint manufacturers are encountering on their quest for more environmentally-friendly raw materials

Paints and coatings companies worldwide are rushing to find new raw materials to develop eco-friendly products in line with international requirements and global sustainable goals, but the task has been difficult and time consuming.  

As countries and companies race to meet the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which includes urgent action to fight climate change [1], regulators are becoming increasingly intolerant of toxic chemicals in paints and coatings.  

For instance, the European Union (EU) executive the European Commission in April (2024) released guidance in how to limit most harmful chemicals to essential uses, when there are no acceptable alternatives [2].  

“The process of chemical substitution is incredibly nuanced, and it can be very difficult and time consuming to identify a suitable, workable commercial substitute. This includes lab-based research and development and experimentation to perfect formulation; testing to enable commercialisation; and adherence to regulatory compliance across varied labelling and chemicals management programmes,” a spokesperson for the American Coatings Association (ACA) told PPCJ.  

The association stressed that the US paint and coatings industry is “working very hard to eliminate controversial raw material inputs and the goal is always to develop a finished product that is as good as or better than the original formula”, but “in many cases, regulatory hurdles make it nearly impossible to incorporate new technologies.”

The ACA gave the example of the “pre-manufacture notice process” established by the federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which requires companies that intend to produce or import new chemical substances to submit a pre-manufacture notice at least 90 days prior to the manufacture with all available data, such as chemical identity, structure and formula, production volume and byproducts and impurities [3].  

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Trade-offs and compromises

David Park, spokesperson for the British Coatings Federation (BCF), agreed that this “hunt for more sustainable materials, processes and formulae continues apace, with companies continuing to invest in R&D [research and development] and proactively seeking out advances in technology they can co-opt into their product ranges,” but “overall, the reformulation process is time-consuming and often expensive.”

“Companies need a good lead-in time to be able to come up with, and test to stringent standards, new products. R&D is not cheap and new equipment might be needed too, as was the case from shifting from solvent to water-based paints following the introduction of the EU paints directive,” he said [4]. “Companies managed to solve many of the technical issues the change entailed but had to spend substantial sums to achieve that outcome,” he added.  

As a result, with many EU laws remaining in force within Brexited Britain, in April 2023, around 84% of decorative paints sold in Britain were water-based, according to BCF data, but Park warned of “trade-offs” regarding environmental controls. “For instance, water-based paints need biocides to stop them going off, but the number of available biocides has been reduced over the years following regulatory changes”, he said. Likewise, Park added, “anti-fouling paints need biocides to help perform their essential functions, not least improving or maintaining the fuel efficiency of ships,” which reduces carbon emissions.  

While he sees a “drive towards more bio-based materials”, he warned: “there are no silver bullets – there are often flip-sides to alternatives.” For instance, when using bio-based materials, feedstock agriculture can replace food production: “You cannot take too much fertile land away from agricultural use if you want to feed the planet,” he told PPCJ, a concern highlighted in the BCF’s ‘Road to Net Zero’, a report launched in November 2023 [5].  

Besides, BCF noted, considering that ‘scope 3’ value chain emissions represent around 98% of the paint and coating industry’s carbon footprint, raw materials such as titanium dioxide (TiO₂), whose production is energy intensive, are critical for coatings with no direct replacement. 

Given these challenges, the BCF called for “support from the government, including policy changes and increased funding support” to develop alternative materials.  

A good example of such public-private R&D is the Netherlands-based AkzoNobel’s five-year Dutch government-funded research programme, working with more than 80 companies, businesses and other organisations, such as Polymer Technology Group Eindhoven BV, which is a Dutch independent applied research and knowledge partner, and the German chemical manufacturer Evonik. The work is designed “to develop new materials, processes and applications to improve the durability, functionality and recyclability of coatings, thin films and inks,” the company announced in January (2024) [6].  

Furthermore, considering that more than 80% of paints and coatings produced in Europe each year are still derived from fossil resources, in 2021 a consortium of academics and companies launched the EU-funded €5M PERFECOAT Project to develop high performance bio-based functional coatings for wool and decorative applications [7]. Last year (2023), innovative natural pigments and dyers produced from yeast and fungi were developed under this project. [8].  

Meanwhile, in February (2024), Danish climate tech startup Again started working with the Hamburg, Germany-based chemicals company HELM to sell its acetic acid, which can be used in coatings and paints. This bacteria-based biotech involves fermenting waste CO2 emissions from flue gas into CO2-derived base chemicals such as acetic acid [9].  

While this innovation continues, paint and coatings companies should keep informed about developing sustainability regulation, especially in the EU, which has been especially proactive in developing such rules. Speaking to PPCJ, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) said: “The European Commission may propose new bans on particularly hazardous substances, following our scientific assessments (opinions). ECHA also continues to expand its list of substances of very high concern (SVHCs). More chemicals used in paints and coatings could be identified as SVHCs in the future,” warned the EU agency.

Under such an evolving legislative landscape, companies would do well to continue innovating on sustainability and reducing their use of toxic chemicals, lest key inputs become restricted or banned.