February will be busy for the coatings industry, with both the Smart Coatings and the Waterborne symposiums being held at the end of the month. 

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.

 Over the past 113 years, Paint & Coatings Industry magazine has evolved from a small, western journal to a global publication. 

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.

 A PCI reader comments about VOC testing, and what formulators should be aware of. 

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. 

Coatings Trends & Technologies (CTT) was held September 26-27 at the Westin in Lombard, IL. Co-produced by our magazine and the Chicago Society for Coatings Technology, the event is held each September in the Chicago area. CTT continues to grow – this year welcoming 275 attendees and 56 exhibitors.

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. 

 Automotive coatings involve technology that is constantly evolving, for both manufacturers and applicators. Keeping current with color preferences is certainly a key interest to coatings manufacturers. 

ABRAFATI 2013, organized by The Brazilian Association of Coatings Manufacturers, will be held September 16-18 at the Transamérica Expo Center in São Paulo, Brazil. This year’s event, which is expected to draw 20,000 visitors, will include the 13th International Coatings Congress and International Exhibition of Coatings Suppliers.