In the realm of wood coatings, achieving a "natural look" has become a hallmark of modern design. To accomplish this, not only is low gloss required but also high transparency to preserve the vibrant colors of the wood.

Bio-degradable citrate esters have excellent toxicological and eco-toxicological profiles, and provide good versatility and compatibility with numerous polymers. Read how they compare to standard coalescing agents.

PPG discusses its multifaceted approach to sustainability and product stewardship; a comprehensive and multivariable methodology, which was informed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. This approach supports the idea that paint and coatings technologies are key to meeting green building standards.

The new resins have a renewable carbon content, can be formulated and used without hazardous ingredients found in most competitive products, and were developed to have efficient crosslinking with environmentally compliant carbodiimide-type crosslinkers.

This viewpoint highlights the recent Waterborne Symposium in New Orleans, which celebrated its 50^th anniversary this year.

Dispersing agents that are suitable for all types of pigments create opportunities to simplify the process of producing high-performance waterborne pigment preparations without the need for extensive pre-testing phases.

Increased regulatory pressure around the use of fluorosurfactants has led to a search for alternative surfactants that still provide good wetting and leveling attributes.

Microban International has developed a new technology to extend the life of water-based coatings. Their anti-microbial additive promotes surface protection and offers benefits to help meet sustainability goals.

This month's Formulating with Mike column discusses the development of surfactant molecules for use as a carbon black pigment dispersant. 

Today, many coatings producers are increasingly focusing their production towards water-based coatings and are moving away from solvent-based formulations. This is to reduce the VOC content of their formulations, not only to make it friendlier for the end-user, but also to improve the sustainability impact on the environment by reducing their CO₂ footprint.