Journey to Sustainability

Politicians: Their Role in Improving Sustainability

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Over the holiday season, I visited Sanibel Island on the west coast of Florida; a charming spot that prides itself on its very rustic life style. Bicycles are encouraged for transportation around the island, which does not have a single stop sign and has yet to see a McDonalds' franchise.

Sustainability in the Coatings Industry: 2018 Calls for Commitment, Measurement and Delivery

Mon, 18 Dec 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Looking back over the past year, it may be my imagination but I did not seem to hear the word ‘sustainability’ referred to as often as I used to in the trade press, and the mouths of politicians and industrialists.

Support for Climate Change in the Coatings Industry

Tue, 25 Jul 2017 00:00:00 -0400

In the last few weeks in particular, the news media across the world have been bombarding us with discussion and comments about climate change. The President’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Change agreement shocked the rest of the world and, to quote one European journalist, ‘needlessly harms America’s reputation’.

AkzoNobel and PPG: a Sustainable Combination?

Wed, 29 Mar 2017 00:00:00 -0400

One of the opportunities afforded by the strong dollar is that acquisitions outside the United States by American corporations become increasingly attractive.

Will Sustainable Development in the Coatings Industry be Trumped?

Tue, 15 Nov 2016 00:00:00 -0500

I am sitting at my desk soon after the recent U.S. presidential election, reflecting on the implications of the result and the stated goal of President-Elect Donald Trump to revoke U.S. support for last year’s Paris agreement to combat climate change.

Sustainable Development in Coatings: Persistence and Practicality Will Pay

Wed, 23 Mar 2016 00:00:00 -0400

Last December, this blog reviewed the past year in the coatings industry from the perspective of sustainable development and also looked ahead to 2016. I was delighted to receive a comment full of encouragement for the sentiments that drive this blog, as follows

What’s Next for the Coatings Industry When it Comes to Sustainability?

Tue, 15 Dec 2015 00:00:00 -0500

As the year end approaches, it is a timely moment to review the achievements of the coatings industry and propose some key activities for the years ahead.

How Can Continued Buy-In to Sustainability Throughout the Coatings Supply Chain be Achieved?

Tue, 15 Sep 2015 00:00:00 -0400

Back in March, I wrote a blog for the PCI website that reflected on the rout in the oil markets of the world and discussed how this might impact the commitment of the coatings industry to sustainable development.

European Coatings Show Reflects Growing Business Confidence and a Step-By-Step Approach to Sustainable Development

Fri, 15 May 2015 00:00:00 -0400

While the emphasis of the European Coatings Show was principally one of incremental technical improvements across the board designed to enhance the performance and functionality of coatings, there is a growing expectation that sustainable development will become the critical source of competition for coating companies and their suppliers in the future.

Will the Rout in the Oil Market Prompt the Coatings Industry to Drag its Feet?

Sun, 15 Mar 2015 00:00:00 -0400

The rout in the oil markets of the world is having an impact in every corner of society.

How Do You Value Coatings?

Mon, 16 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500

“Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” (Oscar Wilde)

Looking Outside the Box When It Comes To Meeting Both Economic and Environmental Objectives

Sun, 15 Feb 2015 00:00:00 -0500

The concept of sustainability is a broad one and is open to wide interpretation. It is often the case that one can get locked into a particular area of endeavour and miss the bigger picture.

A Year-End Review of Sustainable Development. Goals for 2015.

Mon, 15 Dec 2014 00:00:00 -0500

At the end of 2012, this sustainability blog was full of encouragement and optimism about the progress that the coatings industry would make in the following year.

When New Product Development in the Coatings Industry is Hampered by a Catch 22

Fri, 14 Nov 2014 00:00:00 -0500

In past blogs, sustainable development in the coatings industry has been linked closely with innovation.

Doing Things Right or Doing the Right Thing?

Wed, 15 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0400

Doing things right or doing the right thing? That’s a question I have heard raised in the context of sustainability as people have sought to identify what exactly is the right path to make our world a truly better and more sustainable place for us and future generations.

A New Business Model for Paint Solvent Recycling

Mon, 15 Sep 2014 00:00:00 -0400

I can still recall the smell of solvent-based gloss paint as it dried after application at home.

Out of the Blue, Something New!

Mon, 18 Aug 2014 00:00:00 -0400

New sustainable developments that come from ‘left field’

Conservation and Diversity Have Parts to Play in Sustainable Development

Tue, 15 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0400

I don’t want to sound alarmist, but I was deeply disturbed by the recent pronouncements from the IPCC. This learned international organisation concluded that the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has grown to levels not seen for 3 million years, and that about half of cumulative anthropogenic CO2 emissions between 1750 and 2010 have occurred in the last 40 years.

Developing a New Way of Looking at Sustainability

Mon, 16 Jun 2014 00:00:00 -0400

At the recent ACS show in Atlanta, attendees were asked to identify which supplier industry would be expected to deliver the most significant innovation step over the next three years. In declining order of popularity, attendees predicted developments in the fields of binders, production technology, additives and pigments.

Sustainable Development at the ACS

Thu, 15 May 2014 08:00:00 -0400

Strong on technical advances but short on commercial traction. Energy supplies and efficiency are not the whole story!

The Reuse of Waste Paint: Bad News for Sales of Kitty Litter

Tue, 15 Apr 2014 08:00:00 -0400

Back in October of last year, this blog discussed what is termed the Regenerative Circular Economy in which coated products are recycled at the end of their useful lives, either in whole or in part rather than being incinerated or landfilled.

High Hopes for New Ideas and Technical Innovation at the ACS Show and Conference

Mon, 17 Mar 2014 00:00:00 -0400

The American Coatings Show and Conference takes place from April 7^th to 10^th in Atlanta. I shall be walking the halls of the exhibition on the hunt for exciting new technical innovations that progress the sustainable development of the coatings industry.

How Can the Coatings Industry Help its Downstream Customers Become More Sustainable?

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 00:00:00 -0500

The blog is continually looking for best-in-class developments in the global coatings industry that look beyond gate-to-gate manufacturing efficiency improvements and make an impact across the three pillars of sustainability.

Let’s Not Forget the Social Pillar of Sustainability. It Matters!

Wed, 15 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0500

Reading in the press over the holidays about the need for further consolidation in the paint industry and the growing global presence of the top three companies (PPG, AkzoNobel and Sherwin Williams), I was reminded just how much journalists focus on the sales revenue, geographic spread, product range and overall growth potential of a company, as if that were all that matters in this world.

What Can the Coatings Industry Learn From the Agrochemical Industry?

Fri, 13 Dec 2013 00:00:00 -0500

This month, the PCI sustainability blog is going outside the realm of paint to learn from a completely different industry that has relevance for all companies in the coatings industry. The lesson comes from a founding member of The Sustainability Consortium (TSC) that has boldly announced a significant change to its business model, which embraces all three pillars of Sustainability.

Hunt the Hotspots in Decorative Paints: How About Titanium Dioxide?

Fri, 15 Nov 2013 00:00:00 -0500

The world is getting increasingly interested in determining the most sustainable ways of meeting society’s requirements for materials, products and services. Some governments are getting very active in this quest and so are consumer-driven organisations that have increasing concerns about the current ways we are all living.

Transitioning to a Regenerative Circular Economy

Mon, 14 Oct 2013 00:00:00 -0400

Last month, this blog received a valuable comment from Jerry Turner of Vitro Minerals. He reminded readers that glass is one of those materials that is ideally suited to recycling over and over again. With glass powders now being used in industrial primers, roof coatings and various sealants, he points out that recycled glass gives coating formulators another tool to increase their sustainability.

Broadening Our Thinking On Sustainability

Mon, 23 Sep 2013 00:00:00 -0400

We have learned that every element of the product life cycle has implications for the environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainability, and that all three elements need to be taken into account when new products are being developed.

Coatings 10 Years From Now Will Not be Like the Products of 10 Years Ago, or of Today. Why?

Thu, 15 Aug 2013 09:00:00 -0400

Sustainable development in the United States went up several notches in political priority following the recent speech on Climate Change by President Obama.

Sustainable Development: Do We Have to Think Beyond our Factory Gates?

Mon, 15 Jul 2013 09:00:00 -0400

It has often been said that the coatings industry is not only the most looked at but also the most overlooked, and the brochure recently published by the American Coatings Association (ACA) under its Sustainability banner entitled “Coatings Protect, Preserve and Provide” reminds us all, whether we are paint manufacturers, applicators or consumers, just what a key role coatings play in our society and our economy.