Terry Knowles, European Correspondent01.22.25
As ever, there is considerable emphasis on sustainability and sustainability research and the environment in Europe, and the UK is no exception. This column highlights some recent achievements and activities from different parts of the UK coatings sector.
One of the most pressing aspects of sustainable coatings is the high cost to industry, and for coatings especially, the high costs of reapplication. Trying to achieve long coatings lifetimes with sustainable materials continues to be a challenge.
Not only is it desirable for the materials to be sustainable, but the production process also has to have minimal environmental impact as well. Using AI, as exemplified below, is a high-tech way to predict and design any complex chemical or formulation base even before getting into a laboratory.
The academic institutions bring a much more detailed insight into the characterization and analysis of coatings protection (or failure) mechanisms that is priceless to a leading coatings formulator like AkzoNobel.
AkzoNobel and the University of Manchester already have a lengthy history of collaboration (12 years) and of course, much of the UK’s coatings industry and academic research for coatings happens in the north of England. The two parties have completed work on a five-year partnership that has sought to strengthen understanding of the mechanisms of coatings failure.
This serves as a springboard for the AI-led development of next-generation sustainable protective coatings technology that would not only build on coatings failure knowledge, but would harness the use of nano-composite materials through the use of digital design.
Much of this clearly plays to the strengths of AI. There have been four key aspects that came out of the research:
• In the sphere of powder coatings degradation, a combination of electron microscopy and X-ray CT has been used to determine the presence and nature of microsites within the applied coating structure, effectively pinpointing weak spots in the coating structure which are the start of the coating loses its integrity. Finding ways to control or overcome these microstructural weaknesses furnishes AkzoNobel with a greater understanding of how to bolster the design of stronger polyester powder coatings.
• At the polymer-interface level, the researchers discovered a huge significance arising from the metal/polymer interaction, and this in particular was achieved through the use of microscopy at the University of Manchester. It paves the way for a greater understanding of how high-solids coatings could be formulated to be even more effective in the future. This research also examined the interaction of water and solvents with polymeric surfaces.
• On the more purely computational side, the prediction and design of superior protective coating formulations was achieved by drawing on AkzoNobel’s vast bank of corrosion testing results. Plugging such results into machine-learned models has proven instrumental in targeting new formulation combinations for protective coatings of the future.
• Reflecting the fact that protective coatings may be required to operate in electrochemical environments, some of the research focused additionally on electrochemical data, and this also went into the realms of computer simulation and modeling where experiments are impracticable, giving a greater understanding of how coating imperfection affect electrochemical environments.
The 2024 Coatings Care report demonstrated continued improvement in sustainability performance in the coatings sector across a range of measures; 2024 saw the highest number of companies take part in the program since 2012, probably a reflection of growing environmental pressures across the sector.
Some of the performance highlights that arose from the British coatings and ink industry participants were as follows:
• For the first time, a majority of British sites reported zero landfill waste from production, with nearly 60% of companies reporting that their waste was incinerated or recycled. Out of a core or constant group of participants, 16 out of 22 of them reported zero landfill waste.
• For the constant group of 22 participants, total waste in 2024 was 7% lower than in 2023, falling to 34.6 kg/ton of output, which was the peak result attained over the last five years. Perhaps the greatest achievement is that 70% of the waste was recycled and landfills amounted to 1%. However, when the Coatings Care program was initiated in 1996, only 17% of waste was recycled.
• There was a 12% drop in energy use compared to that for 2022, which translates into energy/tonne of output being at its lowest in the last six years.
• Happily, accident rates among these companies are also at a record low and well below a broader industry mean.
Tom Bowtell, CEO of the BCF, said of the published report, ‘This year’s results were particularly [satisfying]. Participation among members has increased to the highest levels since 2012. More importantly, though, we have seen record low levels of energy used per tonne of production and big increases in the amount of waste being recycled and much less going to landfill. While we know there is much more to be done to continue to boost our performance, this year’s report shows welcome steps in the right direction and is a tribute to the work BCF members are putting into becoming a more sustainable sector.’
In darker rooms, it helps to naturally brighten, while in lighter rooms, the soft green undertones help to balance the harsh light by reflecting it back into the space, making it a versatile color for all types of application areas. It teams up well for decorative projects with either saturated or harmonizing colors.
Crocky Road is a genuine Victorian color that is ideally suited to older properties and connects with the rich and earthy tones of the natural world. This is a heritage buff that enhances the features typical of period properties but also protects because it is a breatheable finish that circumvents the formation of damp, mold, bubbling or peeling paint in older properties.
One of the most pressing aspects of sustainable coatings is the high cost to industry, and for coatings especially, the high costs of reapplication. Trying to achieve long coatings lifetimes with sustainable materials continues to be a challenge.
Not only is it desirable for the materials to be sustainable, but the production process also has to have minimal environmental impact as well. Using AI, as exemplified below, is a high-tech way to predict and design any complex chemical or formulation base even before getting into a laboratory.
A Deeper Understanding of Protective Coatings Technology
In what appears to be a classic back-to-basics approach, AkzoNobel and the University of Manchester have jointly researched exactly how coatings work with a view to the long-term design of better and more sustainable coatings. The research is an even broader institutional exercise, drawing additionally on collaborations and input with the University of Sheffield and the University of Leeds.The academic institutions bring a much more detailed insight into the characterization and analysis of coatings protection (or failure) mechanisms that is priceless to a leading coatings formulator like AkzoNobel.
AkzoNobel and the University of Manchester already have a lengthy history of collaboration (12 years) and of course, much of the UK’s coatings industry and academic research for coatings happens in the north of England. The two parties have completed work on a five-year partnership that has sought to strengthen understanding of the mechanisms of coatings failure.
This serves as a springboard for the AI-led development of next-generation sustainable protective coatings technology that would not only build on coatings failure knowledge, but would harness the use of nano-composite materials through the use of digital design.
Much of this clearly plays to the strengths of AI. There have been four key aspects that came out of the research:
• In the sphere of powder coatings degradation, a combination of electron microscopy and X-ray CT has been used to determine the presence and nature of microsites within the applied coating structure, effectively pinpointing weak spots in the coating structure which are the start of the coating loses its integrity. Finding ways to control or overcome these microstructural weaknesses furnishes AkzoNobel with a greater understanding of how to bolster the design of stronger polyester powder coatings.
• At the polymer-interface level, the researchers discovered a huge significance arising from the metal/polymer interaction, and this in particular was achieved through the use of microscopy at the University of Manchester. It paves the way for a greater understanding of how high-solids coatings could be formulated to be even more effective in the future. This research also examined the interaction of water and solvents with polymeric surfaces.
• On the more purely computational side, the prediction and design of superior protective coating formulations was achieved by drawing on AkzoNobel’s vast bank of corrosion testing results. Plugging such results into machine-learned models has proven instrumental in targeting new formulation combinations for protective coatings of the future.
• Reflecting the fact that protective coatings may be required to operate in electrochemical environments, some of the research focused additionally on electrochemical data, and this also went into the realms of computer simulation and modeling where experiments are impracticable, giving a greater understanding of how coating imperfection affect electrochemical environments.
Industry Achievements in HSE Performance
Towards the end of 2024, the British Coatings Federation published the latest edition of its Coatings Care report. The Coatings Care program operated by the BCF is now in its 29th year and currently boasts more than 40 coatings and ink industry participants. It measures the performance of the companies against a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) for health, safety and the environment (HSE).The 2024 Coatings Care report demonstrated continued improvement in sustainability performance in the coatings sector across a range of measures; 2024 saw the highest number of companies take part in the program since 2012, probably a reflection of growing environmental pressures across the sector.
Some of the performance highlights that arose from the British coatings and ink industry participants were as follows:
• For the first time, a majority of British sites reported zero landfill waste from production, with nearly 60% of companies reporting that their waste was incinerated or recycled. Out of a core or constant group of participants, 16 out of 22 of them reported zero landfill waste.
• For the constant group of 22 participants, total waste in 2024 was 7% lower than in 2023, falling to 34.6 kg/ton of output, which was the peak result attained over the last five years. Perhaps the greatest achievement is that 70% of the waste was recycled and landfills amounted to 1%. However, when the Coatings Care program was initiated in 1996, only 17% of waste was recycled.
• There was a 12% drop in energy use compared to that for 2022, which translates into energy/tonne of output being at its lowest in the last six years.
• Happily, accident rates among these companies are also at a record low and well below a broader industry mean.
Tom Bowtell, CEO of the BCF, said of the published report, ‘This year’s results were particularly [satisfying]. Participation among members has increased to the highest levels since 2012. More importantly, though, we have seen record low levels of energy used per tonne of production and big increases in the amount of waste being recycled and much less going to landfill. While we know there is much more to be done to continue to boost our performance, this year’s report shows welcome steps in the right direction and is a tribute to the work BCF members are putting into becoming a more sustainable sector.’
Color of the Year News
Meanwhile, Color of the Year is not a concept that has to be limited to major paint companies – small paint companies can also implement it! And in the very first week of 2025, Earthborn Paints in the UK announced that its product fitting this concept for 2025 is Crocky Road, a warm beige with subtle heritage-inspired green and yellow undertones.In darker rooms, it helps to naturally brighten, while in lighter rooms, the soft green undertones help to balance the harsh light by reflecting it back into the space, making it a versatile color for all types of application areas. It teams up well for decorative projects with either saturated or harmonizing colors.
Crocky Road is a genuine Victorian color that is ideally suited to older properties and connects with the rich and earthy tones of the natural world. This is a heritage buff that enhances the features typical of period properties but also protects because it is a breatheable finish that circumvents the formation of damp, mold, bubbling or peeling paint in older properties.