An Alternative to Titanium Dioxide in White Paint
In February 2020, the European Commission published a regulation that states all producers of white paints containing titanium dioxide (TiO2) must provide a warning label on their products, effective October 1, 2021. Exposure during the production and application of products containing TiO2 can be harmful, and therefore these products must be labeled as “may cause cancer.” Titanium dioxide is the white pigment component in paint and ensures good coverage, amongst other features. The annual trade in titanium dioxide amounts to approximately EUR 11.3 billion, of which EUR 6.5 billion is in coatings.1 Currently there is no alternative to titanium dioxide in white paints, and the industry has unsuccessfully opposed (in several letters addressed to the European Commission) the process of this regulation over the past three years.
RAW Paints has developed a patented white pigment formula to replace TiO2 in white paints for use on interior and exterior surfaces, in one formula. Additionally, the company has also applied for a patent for a new solution for painting on surfaces with a moisture percentage of up to 10%, where the current standard is a maximum of 4%.
Innovative Product
The invention, a white pigment formula for use in interior and exterior surfaces, claims to be opaque in one coat. The photo on the right shows the results of a real-life comparison with other white paints that contain titanium dioxide (one-layer coverage). This invention enables the paint industry to set the right sustainable course to the future and to also contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.
This is not the first sustainable concept that the company has developed. RAW Paints started in 2016 by demonstrating that water is not needed in the paint production process with the introduction of a class 1 paint powder on adhesion and UV resistance. RAW Paints won the climate prize of the Accenture Innovation Awards in 2018 for this product. By simply adding water to the powder formula, the end user creates a strong, two-component paint by mixing the company’s powder with tap water just before painting.
RAW Paints sets the new paint standard for now and the next generations by producing paint with:
- zero VOCs;
- zero pesticides/biocides;
- zero titanium dioxide
Additional USPs of this paint standard are:
- no water in production, nor in transport;
- reduction in maintenance due to excellent adhesion and UV resistance;
- mix what you need – no leftover paint;
- its contribution to the SDGs: RAW Paints meets up with 9 out of the 17 SDGs.
Adheres to Moist Surfaces
This new white paint in powder form, to which water is added at the last minute before application, creates a strong, two-component paint system. Typical paint systems can only adhere to surfaces with a moisture percentage of 4% or less; this product adheres to surfaces with up to 10% moisture percentage (patent pending). The product finds interior use in bathrooms and basements with a high percentage of moisture in surfaces. For exterior use, the product can be applied to both normal walls, roofs and facades, but also facades subjected to extreme atmospheric conditions, such as salt, wind and rain.
About RAW Paints
RAW Paints, with a female founder, is a partner of the United Nations Global Compact, Dutch Green Building Council, De Groene Groeiers, MVO (the movement of entrepreneurs in the new economy), Climate Cleanup, and has recently been admitted to the Solar Impulse Network to follow its mission to make the paint industry more sustainable.
For more information, visit www.rawpaints.com.
1 European Coatings Journal 15.10.2016.
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