The inaugural World Paint and Coatings Week officially launched at the 2025 European Coatings Show (ECS 2025) in Nuremberg, Germany, during a ceremony hosted by Tom Bowtell, president of the World Coatings Council (WCC). The Week was organized through the WCC in partnership with its national coatings association members from around the world.

Running from March 24–28, World Paint and Coatings Week focuses on engaging with the public through social media, with additional events potentially taking place in some countries. The campaign follows five daily themes: essential coatings, sustainable coatings, innovative coatings, valuable coatings, and careers in coatings. National associations have been posting about coatings’ collective contributions in these areas, while individual companies are sharing case studies showing how their products help improve the world. The effort aims to generate a critical mass of content to broaden the reach of key messages and increase public awareness of the importance of coatings beyond what individual organizations could achieve alone.

The backdrop of ECS 2025—with over 1,000 exhibitors and tens of thousands of delegates in attendance—served to highlight the global strength of the coatings sector. Bowtell emphasized that the Week’s purpose is to reach beyond industry professionals and demonstrate to the general public, policymakers, and decision-makers how vital coatings are to the global economy and society.

“I am thrilled to be launching the first World Paint and Coatings Week here at the European Coatings Show in front of so many friends and colleagues,” said Bowtell. “All of us who work in the industry know just how important coatings are to the economy and to everyday life. Almost every solid object will have a coating that is designed to make it look better, work better, or last longer—or a combination of all three. However, too often this crucial contribution is overlooked, or not understood, by the general public. World Paint and Coatings Week sets out to rectify that.”

Bowtell encouraged everyone involved in the industry to follow the World Coatings Council on social media, share posts, and participate by posting their own company case studies. “Whether it is through job creation or helping in the drive toward greater sustainability, working at the cutting edge of innovation or providing essential coatings that enable other parts of industry to function, the Week is already a success, and I look forward to it growing in scale and scope in future years,” he said.

Learn more about World Paint and Coatings Week and how to follow the World Coatings Council and its members at worldcoatingscouncil.org/world-paint-coatings-week. The hashtag used for the initiative is #WorldPaintandCoatingsWeek.

The World Coatings Council comprises members representing associations from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Secretariat for the WCC is the American Coatings Association. The council serves as a forum for information exchange and cooperation on major issues and priorities facing the global paint and coatings industry.