Coatings Industry Deserves More Credit

There are many challenges faced by?CPCA?member companies in Canada due to the continued churn of regulations being added to the already overwhelming number of chemical regulations now at 50,000 and counting, by the Government’s own estimate.??These regulations ensure that chemicals in products are safe for both human health and the environment. Some have referred to it as the ‘firehose’ of Canadian regulations. CPCA?has done much work to ensure that current and future regulations impacting the coatings industry remain focused on evidence-based, scientific data. When that is done the industry is better off. But if the goal posts are continually moved in terms of chemical assessment it needs to be based on need and it must ensure improved outcomes.

While?CPCA?continues advocating for a balanced approach to public policy and regulation it is time to recognize the tremendous success of the industry on the sustainability front. Throughout the world,?CPCA?members have made great strides in lowering VOC emissions in architectural and other coatings. In architectural alone, more than 90 percent of VOC emissions have been reduced, the equivalent of taking more than 300,000 cars of the road annually. It has achieved impressive success in waste paint recycling with 20 million kilograms of paint recycled in Canada annually, 100% of the costs is borne by paint manufacturers. Other important advancements include antifouling marine coatings with tremendous eco-efficiency benefits when applied to tankers, bulk cargo, and other vessel types reducing greenhouse gas and other emissions by an average of 9%. This is a large volume when one considers that 90% of all goods sold in the world is shipped by sea. This is no small feat since shipping counts for an estimated 2-4% of global greenhouse gas emissions.?

Cool roof coatings provide value by enhancing the ability of commercial buildings and homes to regulate temperature, leading to a reduction in energy usage demonstrating energy savings between 10-70%.?Corrosion-resistant external coatings?for water?transport improves pipeline infrastructure?for both potable and non-potable water. Automotive monocoat technology results in more durable paint, use less energy and water and reduces CO2 and particulate emissions compared with conventional paint processes.?

While many have pointed out such impressive characteristics as noted above, it may be time to double-down and take a more proactive approach to shine some light on how far the industry has come on sustainability — and plans to go. The paint and coatings industry must get more credit for its enhanced efforts on sustainability as evidenced in the ‘annual’ reporting of many companies over the past several years. They deserve more credit for fully embracing sustainability and incorporating it into their DNA. Their corporate strategy and values now clearly reflect it. That includes both larger as well as small and medium-sized enterprises. This aligns with the coatings industry’s long-standing commitment to worker and product safety, first evidenced in the principles of Coatings Care?. The industry is now embracing more widely the?United Nations Sustainable Development Goals?of relevance to the coatings industry specifically.?

In terms of governance and delivery, the industry’s enhanced commitment to sustainability and reporting is real. This includes increasing commitment from CEOs who are now an integral part of the sustainability commitment and oversight. All senior executives within coatings companies have a stronger role in the development and delivery of more sustainable practices and products. This is the case not only within the company but across supply chains. This is further supported by a commitment to aligning sustainable approaches with credible and recognizable standards organizations such as the?Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, which also ensures more transparent Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting.??Finally, shareholders are demanding companies adhere to sustainable best practices because consumers are now making decisions based on how companies perform in this regard.?

None of the objectives and goals established by the UN - or elsewhere - are relevant if there is no accounting for the metrics for either the concrete or aspirational targets. So, companies are now reporting on sustainability using metrics based on previous years’ baseline results such as:?percentage of sales from sustainably advantaged products and processes; manufacturing locations with zero waste to landfill; waste disposal sites with no releases; reduced spills; waste and greenhouse gas reductions and more. There is now also reporting on metrics related to land use and biodiversity, water use, adaptation to climate change, product stewardship that includes circular economy recycling, energy use and GHG emissions (including low-level VOC emissions), sustainable approaches to innovation and product development, improved engagement with suppliers, renewed focus on regulatory compliance, and more.?Coatings companies have gone beyond the aspirational to the practical and real.?That said, the aspirational goals will still be important on the road to further sustainability as it all starts with aspiration.???

The sustainability approach, and related reporting, in the coatings industry is indeed on the right track as shareholders of coatings companies, writ large, continue to invest in the value they see in paint and coatings companies of every size, across multiple product lines.??While the coatings industry has faced challenges over the past two years as many have, the commitment to sustainability and product development has not diminished. It has grown stronger. It is time those who make the regulations in the name of more sustainability give credit where credit is due. We all need to make sure there is credible collaboration and consultation on new regulations, steeped in science, to ensure that an already innovative and truly sustainable paint and coatings industry can go even further.