Low- and Zero-VOC Technology

The importance of developing sustainable products remains one of the major issues for the paint and coatings industry. From OEM equipment manufacturers to DIY consumers, environmentally friendly products are increasingly being sought. Coatings manufacturers recognize how important it is to deliver low- and zero-volatile organic compound (VOC) products and offer their customers sustainable solutions.

“It is vitally important to deliver coating solutions to the market that deliver a lower environmental impact,” said Nick Bartoszek, Sherwin-Williams global marketing director – Liquid & Powder Products. “Coatings that deliver low- or zero-VOC are common requests our customers are asking for every day.  When we do this, we are looking for ways to improve the product or process as well.  We consistently ask ourselves how we take steps out of the process and limit total VOC emissions.”

Some examples of this are new resin developments that have lowered VOCs and HAPs in polyurethane coatings. “That’s something that allows finishers to meet environmental standards while realizing the potential energy and inventory savings that these finishes offer,” said Bartoszek. “In wood finishing, high-performance, low cure powder coatings for MDF, waterborne and formaldehyde free finishes – all products that Sherwin-Williams offers to finishers – play a significant role in lowering VOCs.” 

“Today, the ability to offer low- and zero-VOC coatings isn’t just important; it’s an absolute necessity,” said a spokesperson at PPG Industries. “At PPG, we offer a breadth of low- and zero-VOC coatings across all technologies, including powder and e-coat – which are inherently low-VOC – as well as liquid and pretreatment products. PPG also works closely with customers to help them stay ahead of impending environmental legislation, whether those regulations are global, regional or specific to a local market. 

PPG understands that continued innovation in low- and zero-VOC coatings is essential to maintaining leadership status. “The product development we do in-house and in partnership with our customers is critical to that mission,” said the spokesperson.

Benjamin Moore is another coatings company at the forefront of manufacturing environmentally friendly paints.  “We have continued to expand throughout our product portfolio to offer a broad range of low- and zero-VOC products for all end-users – homeowners, contractors and specifiers,” said Patricia Bennett, brand manager at Benjamin Moore.

Benjamin Moore offers a number of products for both residential consumers and commercial applications that are low- or zero-VOC. “For consumers, Natura is our greenest product with zero-VOC and zero emissions, but we also offer other premium zero-VOC products such as Aura, Regal Select and ben,” said Bennett. “For commercial users, Ultra Spec 500 offers contractors a zero-VOC option.”

All of these products are tinted on Benjamin Moore’s proprietary zero-VOC Gennex colorant platform, which ensures VOCs are not added back into the final product once they are tinted. “This is a distinguishing factor versus many other competitive paints,” Bennett noted.

Sherwin-Williams offers a full range of low- and zero-VOC coating solutions.  These solutions range from powder coatings, high and ultra high solids solventborne coatings to waterborne coatings.  “We offer a variety of baking, air dry and UV curable solutions to meet our customer’s coating needs,” said Bartoszek. “A few recent product introductions include Powdura Sprint, a fast-curing powder coating for MDF applications; Powdura OneCure, a two-coating mono-cure system for heavy equipment and general finishing; and the Ultra-Cure Waterborne UV Pigmented Blending System for wood finishing. We have a broad offering of formaldehyde-free wood finishes that includes lacquers, conversion varnishes, primers and surfacers.”

PPG offers customers a complete end-to-end solution for a low-VOC coating system, from pretreatment to liquid, powder and e-coat.

“Powder coatings are inherently low-VOC because they are solvent-free and, while most e-coats contain some small amount of co-solvent, modern use of this technology produces few, if any, VOC emissions,” said PPG’s spokesperson.  “As for liquid coatings, PPG continues to invest in developing waterborne and ultra-high-solid formulations for low-VOC emissions because of the advantages liquid coatings offer in color, substrate flexibility and energy consumption.”

There is a general trend toward low-VOC in virtually all coatings market segments. “Typically, the automotive market has led, but we’re seeing a focused effort on increasing the use of low-VOC coatings in Asia, particularly in China, where there is a growing emphasis on environmental protection,” said PPG’s spokesperson.

Benjamin Moore said it is finding consumers looking for greener products for their homes and families, in addition to low- and zero-VOC paints being speced for new green buildings. “Innovation has always been a key strategy for Benjamin Moore,” said Bennett. “We continue to find new greener and improved processes for manufacturing our products.

“Many of our customers in VOC regulated regions seek these low- and zero-VOC coating solutions, but many seek out these finishes as well to show their commitment to the environment to their customers, as well as offering their finishing employees a better workplace environment,” said Bartoszek. “We are finding that many of our solutions to meet the VOC restrictions also improve quality and/or improve productivity, so the customer really gives nothing up by choosing an environmentally friendly solution.  Typically, lower VOC liquid products usually mean higher solids; that will usually lead to more film per pass and could translate into process savings.”

“Much of our recent efforts have been focused on waterborne solutions, improvements in powder coatings (i.e., low cure powder coatings for engineered wood surfaces) and UV curable technology; that is reflected in the products that Sherwin-Williams introduced last year at IWF and the Powder Coating Show,” said Bartoszek. “Sherwin-Williams views the challenge to low VOC emissions as an opportunity to improve quality, lower process times for our customers and reduce energy requirements.   To simply lower the VOCs is not enough.  We see these opportunities as our chance to innovate and improve the coatings we offer to the marketplace, and we believe that our product introductions over the past several years speak well to the work we have done to achieve those goals.”

One of the key competitive advantages PPG has is its ability to conduct advanced resin technology research, the company stated. “We’re not solely dependent on raw material suppliers to improve our coatings and, because of that, we are uniquely positioned to help customers meet environmental demands,” said the spokesperson.

PPG recently achieved sustainability advances in a number of coating technology platforms.  Beyond new low- and zero-VOC coatings for the architectural market, PPG introduced waterborne refinish coatings for the automotive industry; anti-fouling, non-copper-containing coatings for the marine industry; and metal-free catalysts for e-coat.

“These types of developments are continually taking place because sustainability is part of PPG’s core mission,” the spokesperson added.  “PPG also works closely with customers to make coatings more environmental friendly, and with the EPA, government agencies and other stakeholders to educate them about the VOC limits achievable with new coating technologies. Legislation and customer demand continue to drive the technology.”