PHILADELPHIA – Just weeks after announcing a major advance in hiding technology for paint and coatings, Dow Coating Materials (DCM) rallied volunteers and donated 1,000 gallons of paint to help the city of Philadelphia “hide” graffiti, paint curbs and refresh fences at various city recreation centers. The daylong painting spree took place on Saturday, April 2, in conjunction with Philadelphia’s annual Philly Spring Cleanup and Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup campaign.

Much of the high-hiding exterior paint was used to cover graffiti-filled walls and make room for new artwork through Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program, a grassroots organization that has produced over 3,000 exterior murals in Philadelphia since its founding in 1984.

“Through Dow’s participation in the Great American Cleanup and the Mural Arts Program, we’re not only cleaning up our neighborhood streets, we’re also creating a new canvas for tomorrow’s artists,” said Joan Schuller, General Manager, DCM North America, speaking at the event.

“At Dow, we know paint, and we know that any paint project – whether it’s on exterior concrete or interior drywall – has to include effective hiding,” said Schuller. “In fact, Dow Coating Materials has been working to improve the science of hiding in paints for almost 50 years, and the technology in the paint we’re using today is a Delaware Valley innovation.”

Originally located in Newtown, PA, and later moved to Spring House, PA, Dow’s paint and coatings research farm has operated continuously since 1953. Scientists there developed ROPAQUE™ Opaque Polymers, an alternative light-scattering pigment and the industry’s go-to option for supplementing the hiding performance of TiO2. Last month, DCM unveiled three new hiding technologies also invented at Spring House, EVOQUE™ Pre-Composite Polymer Technology, ROPAQUE™ Dual Opaque Polymers and FASTRACK™ HE-2706 Acrylic Binders.

Dow has been a national sponsor of the Great American Cleanup since 2008, in keeping with its 2015 Sustainability Goals of contributing to community success, environmental stewardship and encouraging employee volunteerism. Nationwide, hundreds of Dow volunteers will participate in more than 40 Great American Cleanup events this year.