Back in October of last year, this blog discussed what is termed the Regenerative Circular Economy in which coated products are recycled at the end of their useful lives, either in whole or in part rather than being incinerated or landfilled.

The American Coatings Show and Conference takes place from April 7^th to 10^th in Atlanta. I shall be walking the halls of the exhibition on the hunt for exciting new technical innovations that progress the sustainable development of the coatings industry.

The blog is continually looking for best-in-class developments in the global coatings industry that look beyond gate-to-gate manufacturing efficiency improvements and make an impact across the three pillars of sustainability.

Reading in the press over the holidays about the need for further consolidation in the paint industry and the growing global presence of the top three companies (PPG, AkzoNobel and Sherwin Williams), I was reminded just how much journalists focus on the sales revenue, geographic spread, product range and overall growth potential of a company, as if that were all that matters in this world.

This month, the PCI sustainability blog is going outside the realm of paint to learn from a completely different industry that has relevance for all companies in the coatings industry. The lesson comes from a founding member of The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) that has boldly announced a significant change to its business model, which embraces all three pillars of Sustainability.

The world is getting increasingly interested in determining the most sustainable ways of meeting society’s requirements for materials, products and services. Some governments are getting very active in this quest and so are consumer-driven organisations that have increasing concerns about the current ways we are all living. 

Last month, this blog received a valuable comment from Jerry Turner of Vitro Minerals. He reminded readers that glass is one of those materials that is ideally suited to recycling over and over again. With glass powders now being used in industrial primers, roof coatings and various sealants, he points out that recycled glass gives coating formulators another tool to increase their sustainability. 

We have learned that every element of the product life cycle has implications for the environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainability, and that all three elements need to be taken into account when new products are being developed.

Sustainable development in the United States went up several notches in political priority following the recent speech on Climate Change by President Obama.

It has often been said that the coatings industry is not only the most looked at but also the most overlooked, and the brochure recently published by the American Coatings Association (ACA) under its Sustainability banner entitled “Coatings Protect, Preserve and Provide” reminds us all, whether we are paint manufacturers, applicators or consumers, just what a key role coatings play in our society and our economy.