Q: Sustainability means different things to different companies and consumers. When we think about sustainability as it relates to the automotive coatings industry, what does that mean to you?
A: Because “sustainable coatings” has so many different meanings in the automotive industry, at Eastman we’ve prioritized three major initiatives: removing materials of concern, lowering VOC emissions, and staying up to date with new global regulations. That last initiative is crucial because the more we can analyze these trends the more proactive vs. reactive we can become. We can share that information with our customers to help develop their business strategies.Q: How will these global regulatory changes directly impact the life cycle of automotive coatings?
A: In the near term, these regulatory changes will directly impact the development of the coatings. The reclassification of materials will undoubtedly force some reformulations, so formulators will look to suppliers like Eastman to provide alternative solutions that will not impact performance.Long term, these changes could create opportunities to further enhance the full life cycle of coating development, application, and performance. Shifting trends and regulations will result in an evolvement of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and consumer preferences when initially considering materials for formulations. Lowering greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is one of the most mainstream industry topics, and we see there is opportunity in our industry to participate in that effort as well.
Q: How can automotive industry stakeholders contribute to lowering GHG emissions?
A: The amount of paint as it relates to all other aspects of a vehicle is minimal, so we can lower the footprint of the paint through two main aspects: application and the upstream production of the coatings’ elements.The performance of the paint is crucial in terms of coverage and durability. Minimizing the total amount of material needed per application and the service life of the coating reduces waste and maximizes efficiency.
GHG emissions can also be reduced through energy and resource conservation, waste minimization, process efficiency enhancement, and the use of sustainable materials. Eastman is taking steps to establish a baseline life cycle assessment (LCA) for each material in its portfolio and working to improve the LCA in the future.
Q: What steps is Eastman taking to improving the sustainability of automotive coatings?
A: Eastman is laser focused on innovating for a sustainable future, and our molecular recycling initiatives offer more sustainable solutions for many of our markets — including coatings —without compromising performance at all levels of substitution.Eastman’s molecular recycling technologies provide a circular solution for waste materials that were previously destined to end up in landfills, incinerators, or the environment. By breaking down plastic waste into its molecular building blocks and rebuilding it into new materials, Eastman can reprocess complex materials that cannot be recycled by traditional methods today. By 2030, we expect to recycle up to 500 million pounds (≈ 225 million kilograms) of plastic waste per year.
Eastman is actively working to find new ways to further these sustainable efforts by translating this technology into the coatings market. But we can’t create change alone, so we are always looking for collaborations and partnerships to help deliver a more sustainable solution that will enable companies to achieve sustainability targets and reduce emissions while maintaining performance.
Q: When can the industry expect to see these sustainably focused regulatory changes come into effect?
A: Some of these changes take effect immediately. An example is the reclassification of MIBK in the EU. Starting in December 2022, products in this region containing MIBK solvent will require labeling for the presence of a Category 2 carcinogen. This reclassification impacts formulations, including automotive refinish coatings containing ≥ 1% concentration — requiring relabeling to have the health hazard pictogram.The more enhanced regulatory pressures are a little further in the distance, but we see trends happening globally that indicate there could be some progression. This will likely impact the coatings industry in the not-so-distant future, so we need to be proactively innovating today.