The gap in costs between chemicals derived from petrochemicals and those from biological or renewables sources has been widening as a result of the dramatic drop in crude oil prices.

Nonetheless being seen to be green is still a top priority for many of the European coatings industry’s leading customers as well as for the coatings producers themselves.

However the basis for judging a product as being green is changing.   It does not necessarily require the use of biochemicals or biomaterials.   A coating product can be promoted as being green even if it contains fossil-based chemicals.

What seems to matter more is how much the coating helps protect the environment in the longer terms by, for example, having a low carbon footprint or a level of durability which ensures a products needs  a minimum number of coatings in its life time.

This broader definition of  ‘greenness’ was evident at the Ecobuild exhibition and conference in London in March, which is one of Europe leading sustainable construction events.

What the show demonstrated was that many companies in construction and its raw materials suppliers are pursuing strategies aimed at projecting themselves as being champions of sustainability.  But it is a sustainability with a wide definition with a lot of emphasis on reliability. 

“Sustainability has become normalized,” said Martin Hurn, Ecobuild’s event director. “The smarter end of the market is taking a broader approach to sustainability, aiming to ensure buildings appeal to occupiers well into the future with improved building performance, design, efficiency, health and wellbeing benefits.”

The main drivers behind the sustainability trends are the larger companies in the construction sector and the big corporations which are their customers, many in which are consumer product businesses.

“The leading companies in terms of revenue are the ones which are setting the pace at the moment,” said a marketing executive at one coatings company at the exhibition. “Then there are relatively large group of smaller companies which are committed to the aims of sustainability or have sustainability technologies with commercial potential.  Finally there are the consumers, who are the least interested in sustainability but are still open to hearing about its benefits.”

At the corporate level, nonetheless, companies reckon that sustainability strategies will have long-term benefits as worries about issues like climate change will inevitably sooner  or later  spread to  consumers. Many coatings producers are following similar strategies.

Some of the coatings companies exhibiting green products at Ecobuild were already benefitting from rapid rises in demand.

A sprayable, cork-based coating  made by Kolmer S.A. of Spain and displayed at the exhibition  by its UK distributor Ecovia Build is currently doubling sales each year across Europe  despite being more expensive than petrochemical-based competing paints. 

“In the UK our product is probably around 10 percent more expensive than the petrochemical coatings with similar functions,” explained Justin Hyer, Ecovia’s co-founder.   “But we argue we have a superior product with a high level of flexibility and low thermal conductivity so that it prevents build-up of heat.  At the same time its permeability ensures that any moisture quickly dries out. “

The coating is sold mainly as an insulation product with a level of breathability which is not provided by its petrochemical-derived rivals, according to Angel Ruiz, Kolmer’s chief executive.  “It is a natural product but our customers are buying  it because to the efficiency of its insulation properties,”  he said.

Other companies at the exhibition with biocoatings or ones with a high bio content stressed the  importance of the services they provided to offset higher prices.

“We don’t need to sell on price,” said Mark Bruchez, UK technical director o  Kemper Systems of Germany   which was showing a polyurethane roof-protection coating derived from  castor oil-based polyols.  “We put a lot of emphasis on the quality of the product and our services, such as the collection and analysis of condensation data.”

Eco-friendly materials in green coatings are not necessarily biological.  Graphenstone, a joint venture between the Spanish coatings company  EDISA and graphene supplier Grapheno of Spain, was introducing  at the exhibition a coating technology comprising lime and nanoscale graphene fibres.  The porosity of the coating eliminates moisture, preventing the  formation of mould.

Calcium oxide is hydrated to be mixed with the graphene.  Once the coating is applied to the substrate it absorbs CO2 to become calcium carbonate or limestone so that it does not leave any carbon footprint.

“This is a 100-percent natural product and in respect to its properties it has no competitors at the moment,” said Degroodt Calvin, a Graphenstone account manager. “Besides being an absorbent of CO2, it emits zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and has no toxic heavy metal elements.   It also improves air quality in interiors by being a natural anti-bacterial and anti-fungicidal agent.”

The product has also been  given cradle-to-cradle (C2C)  certification  because of the reusability of its materials.  Accreditations like these are becoming increasingly  important in the European construction sector.

AkzoNobel, Europe’s market leader in decorative paints,  announced at the exhibition that it had become the first paint company globally to be awarded with a major accreditation for responsible sourcing, which a growing number of construction companies are now requiring their customers to obtain.

“(The accreditation) provides reassurance to our customers that our products are formulated not only with quality in mind but that the environmental and ethical aspects of all ingredients are fully considered too,” said Susan Kendall, AkzoNobel’s sustainability director for UK and Ireland.

Certificates issued by bodies like the UK-based research institute Building Research Establishment (BRE) confirm that a company  has been sourcing its raw materials responsibly.

The BRE’s BES 6001 standard for responsible sourcing lays down tracing criteria to ensure not  only proper environmental management in production of materials but also compliance with labour rights stipulated by the United Nation’s International Labour Organisation (ILO).

AkzoNobel’s  accreditation was given to its  plant for large-volume water-based white and pastel paints at Stowmarket in eastern England.

With the inclusion of areas like business ethics, welfare of local communities, labour rights and conditions, accreditations like BRE’s  indicate how sustainability in sectors like construction  has been extended beyond  health and safety and the environment so embrace social responsibility.