BASF Coatings Launches First ChemCycling Products in the Automotive Refinish Market

BASF Coatings officially introduced new product lines at Automechanika 2024, the world’s leading international trade fair for the automotive aftermarket. Further driving sustainability in the refinish industry, BASF’s next generation of clearcoats employs the company’s unique ChemCycling technology. The product lines, manufactured using recycled feedstock, are marketed under BASF’s premium brands Glasurit and R-M and will boost body shop efficiency and productivity. The products not only contribute to the circular economy but also reduce CO₂ emissions.

“At BASF Coatings, we’re always pushing what’s possible, empowering body shops to lead the change with sustainable technologies that are unique to the market. With our exclusive ChemCycling, our vision is to support a circular economy by reducing the use of fossil raw materials, minimizing waste and cutting CO₂ emissions in the value chain. We’re here today making a difference with our new products, replacing a share of the fossil resources with recycled feedstocks, and that is a huge step towards less environmental impact, less emissions and less waste,” said Chris Titmarsh, senior vice president, Global Automotive Refinish Coatings, BASF.

Leveraging BASF’s ChemCycling technology, recycled feedstock derived from waste tires is used to create certified Ccycled® products, effectively diverting them from landfills or incineration. The recycled feedstock is attributed to the certified Ccycled clearcoats through a mass balance approach: BASF Coatings’ Glasurit AraClass A-C-24 Eco Balance and R-M Race Finish-R eSense clearcoats are the first automotive refinish products that utilize this technology, delivering benefits to both body shops and the environment.

Additionally, the products bring further benefits: The clearcoats’ drying speed allows for fast processing, with the coating drying in just 20 minutes at 40ºC. By reducing drying time, energy consumption is significantly lowered, resulting in improved efficiency and reduced environmental impact. This feature is particularly advantageous for electric vehicles, as it minimizes their exposure to excessive heat.

In addition to the ChemCycling clearcoats, BASF will launch another sustainable solution: New mixing clears based on BASF’s biomass balance approach have been added to the waterborne basecoat series of Glasurit 100 Line and R-M AGILIS, both of which already offer the lowest VOC content below 250 g/L in the industry. The new mixing clears now reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 50%.