Akzonobel

The two recent projects have been taking place in Garcia, Mexico, and Barcelona, Spain. The Garcia installation (of 1,650 solar panels) at an industrial coatings site is already complete, while in Barcelona, work to install 1,600 roof panels is well underway.

They’re the latest in a series of solar projects around the world which aim to help AkzoNobel reduce energy use by 30% and move to 100% renewable electricity by 2030 as part of its “People. Planet. Paint.” sustainability ambitions.

“We’re already using renewable electricity at 33 of our locations in eight countries and have installed solar panels at 14 facilities,” explains Wijnand Bruinsma, AkzoNobel’s Program Manager for Sustainability. “The latest two projects will make an important contribution to our continuing efforts to significantly increase these numbers as we strive to achieve our ambition of cutting our emissions by 50% by 2030.”

Due to be completed by the end of January next year, the installation in Barcelona will generate 15% of the site’s overall energy consumption. It joins two other AkzoNobel locations in Spain where solar panels have already been installed – Vilafranca, and Vallirana.

Solar panels at the Garcia site Covering more than 5,300m2 of space, the Garcia installation will generate 82% of energy requirements – making the site almost selfdependent – and it will eventually produce more energy than it normally consumes.

“We’re very happy to see this project come to life,” says Garcia Site Manager, Juan Francisco Garcia. “Initiatives such as this will help Mexico contribute to the company’s ambition to become carbon neutral and use 100% renewable energy. It’s very much aligned with our People. Planet Paint. approach and is a visible sign of positivity in these challenging times.”

Continues Bruinsma: “People. Planet. Paint. is about integrating sustainability in everything we do. It’s about ensuring that we continue to make a difference by addressing the sustainability challenges faced by our company, customers and broader society. Because by turning our ambitions into actions, we can make a positive contribution to society and ensure that we remain the reference in our industry.”

AkzoNobel currently uses 100% renewable electricity in eight countries – Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. ◆

About Akzonobel AkzoNobel has a passion for paint. We’re experts in the proud craft of making paints and coatings, setting the standard in color and protection since 1792. Our world-class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. Headquartered in the Netherlands, we are active in over 150 countries and employ around 33,000 talented people who are passionate about delivering the high-performance products and services our customers expect.

Everywhere we look, we are confronted by undeniable evidence that the planet is changing. And make no mistake, that change is not for the better. The American and Canadian West is on fire. Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations are facing record flooding. African nations are seeing once-a-century droughts just decades apart.

According to the United Nations: • 2020 was one of the hottest three years in recorded history, with an average temperature 1.2 degrees C higher than the pre-Industrial average. • The six years since 2015 have been the hottest ever measured. • 2011 through 2020 has been the hottest decade on record worldwide. • Increasing temperatures and extreme weather are impacting: -Food production and security -Water quality and availability -Arable and livable land -Marine ecosystem health -Global biodiversity

Human activities have sparked these dramatic, devastating changes. Human activities can also slow or even stop those changes provided we can act in concert. AkzoNobel has set the standard in color and protection in the paints and coatings industry since the 1790s and continues to innovate and develop solutions designed to reduce resource use, drive down costs, and manage future risks and opportunities.

A Track Record of Sustainability AkzoNobel is a global innovator and leader in the paints and coatings industry. Over the years, the company has invested in a broad range of sustainability steps designed to help limit its impact on the planet, investigate environmental damage and identify causes, and more. In the 1990s, Akzo and Nobel merged and produced the first environmental report. Following the Kyoto Protocol, the company also committed to reducing emissions and adopted CSR reporting initiatives.

In the 2000s, AkzoNobel joined the UN Global Compact and implanted sustainability programs throughout its facilities. The 2010s marked the launch of AkzoNobel’s Planet Possible program, which set resource efficiency and sustainable product targets, steered the firm toward carbon neutrality, and more. AkzoNobel also became the first global company to remove lead from its product lines and committed to sustainability as a shared value in accord with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

In 2020, AkzoNobel launched the People. Planet. Paint. initiative to increase sustainable products, measuring the company’s impact through ESG reporting, and creating

a more sustainable world through a variety of initiatives and solutions.

AkzoNobel’s Sustainability Solutions Today, AkzoNobel has committed to tackling climate change and helping the company’s customers reduce their own carbon emissions through intelligently designed products and solutions. These include the following: Marine Products: AkzoNobel manufactures solvent-free, VOCcompliant, universal primer designed specifically for marine environments. These are critical as international shipping relies more and more heavily on cargo ships and sea-bound trade continues to grow.

Urban Heat Islands: 1 million people move to cities around the world every week. By 2050, 6.3 billion people are projected to live in cities alone. AkzoNobel supplies coil coating systems designed to help reflect infrared energy and reduce the urban heat island effect.

Resource Use: In addition to encouraging the use of renewable materials, AkzoNobel offers wood coatings that increase manufacturing efficiency.

Energy Usage: AkzoNobel has developed a unique powder coating for light fixtures that amplifies output by 30% without additional energy consumption. Additionally, the company’s heat-reflective powder coatings can be applied to buildings to help reflect the sun’s rays off the surface, keeping the building cooler and reducing energy consumption related to cooling.

Reduced Temperature Curing: Powder coating traditionally requires baking at very high temperatures to cure. Achieving those temperatures requires immense amounts of energy. However, AkzoNobel’s speciallyengineered powder coatings can cure at much lower temperatures, reducing energy consumption significantly.

Commitment in Action: AkzoNobel Takes the Lead in Sustainability Initiatives. While AkzoNobel has invested in a robust range of sustainable solutions and products, the organization is also committed to creating change in the wider world.

Solar Power Projects One example of how AkzoNobel continues to commit to global change and improvement is the company’s ongoing investment in solar energy generation. Currently, the company is building two solar projects. One is located in Garcia, Mexico, and the other in Barcelona, Spain. Both already boast around 1,600 solar panels and will continue to grow.

These two installations are part of the company’s People. Planet. Paint. initiative, which aims to reduce energy use by 30%, decrease emissions by 50%, and move to 100% renewable energy by 2030. AkzoNobel already has two other solar panel systems in operation, both of which are located in Spain. Currently, the company has already shifted to using 100% renewable energy in several different countries, including the UK, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, Columbia, Ireland, and Estonia.

Green Building Projects AkzoNobel is a proud member of he World Green Building Council (WGBC). According to that organization, 39% of global energy related to carbon emissions comes directly from buildings – 28% of operational emotions from heating, cooling, and powering buildings and 11% of embodied carbon in the form of construction materials and activities.

As a solution to this challenge, AkzoNobel is focusing on green building design and construction. According to the WGBC, “a green building is a building that, in its design, construction or operation, reduces or eliminates negative impacts and can create positive impacts, on our climate and natural environment. Green buildings preserve precious natural resources and improve our quality of life.”

AkzoNobel promotes the development of the green building market through its membership in the WGBC. The organization provides multiple solutions to increase sustainability in the sector, including the use of reflective coatings for building envelopes to reduce heat transfer and drive down climatecontrol-related energy use. Reflective coatings for light fixtures, and longerlasting paints and coatings for building interiors and exteriors further reduce energy use, as well as the need for repair, cleaning, and repainting.

AkzoNobel is also dedicated to reducing the amount of embodied carbon in the company’s products. It will achieve this through low-bake/ UV/ambient cure coatings, low-VOC/ water-based products, and the use of renewable materials in decorative interior wall paints, metal coatings, and liquid protective wood and coil coatings.

Through these initiatives, the company will work toward achieving the World Green Building Council’s primary three goals, which are climate action through the proliferation of net-zero buildings; health and wellbeing to provide healthier places for people to live, work, and play; and resources and circularity to better manage natural resources.

AkzoNobel’s Paint the Future Challenge In 2021, AkzoNobel launched the Paint the Future Global Startup Challenge. The mission is simple – to change the world of paints and coatings. The challenge features five themes that paints and coatings should embody, including: →

→ Enhanced Functionality: Paints and coatings should provide more than basic protection and aesthetics. They should also be more durable than previous formulations.

Customer Experience: Paints and coatings should deliver an excellent end-customer experience, including better adhesion, protection, colorfastness, and more.

Smart Application: Applying paints and coatings should require less energy and (when possible) rely on innovative techniques and technology.

Circular Solutions: Circular solutions help manage resource use and consumption while focusing on renewables/reusables.

Smart Manufacturing and Supply Chain: Paints and coatings should be manufactured, distributed, and applied through an intelligently designed process and robust supply chain.

Understanding the People. Planet. Paint. Initiative AkzoNobel’s People. Planet. Paint. initiative is more than a catchy marketing campaign. It’s an approach to sustainable business. The company strives to lead its industry by “pioneering a world of possibilities to empower people and reduce our impact on the planet, while consistently innovating to deliver the most sustainable solutions for our customers.”

To really understand the initiative, it must be broken down into its three components:

People We strive to act with integrity and respect for human rights at all levels within the business. We focus on inclusion, diversity, and empowering communities.

Within this segment, the company focuses on developing employees and helping them to reach their full potential. This also requires respecting human rights within the value chain, focusing on health and safety at every level of the organization (and beyond), and creating social impact programs that deliver significant benefits to people and communities.

This mission has allowed AkzoNobel to train over 15,000 people in over 1,000 projects, as well as being recognized as a Top Employer in multiple nations, including the UK, China, Brazil, the US, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Poland.

Additionally, AkzoNobel supports the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of the International Labor Organization.

By 2025, AkzoNobel expects over 30% of the company’s executives to be female and to have trained over 35,000 people in the globalcommunity. It also expects to achieve zero injuries and harm through operational excellence.

Planet Our goal is to minimize our environmental footprint, reduce our carbon emissions, and achieve zero-waste status. Sustainable solutions and processes are the paths by which we reach this goal.

Currently, AkzoNobel reuses 58% of the company’s waste, including wastewater, which is recycled at 11 global sites. Additionally, the organization has achieved 100% renewable electricity use at 34 locations across 11 countries, with 17 solar panel locations (and more in development).

The goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 50%, reduce energy consumption by 30%, and use renewable energy to power 100% of the company’s locations by 2030. The same year, the company expects to produce 0 non-reusable waste and to achieve 100% water reuse at its most intensive production sites.

Paint We are committed to innovation, sustainability, and creating impactful solutions that bring interior and exterior surfaces to life. From buildings to ships and everything in between, sustainable, high-performance paints and coatings are our lifeblood.

Currently, AkzoNobel generates approximately 40% of the organization’s sales from sustainable solutions, which is the highest in the industry. However, it is not enough. AkzoNobel continues to focus on innovation and pioneering new products that use recycled content.

A team of 3,000 scientists works closely with customers to develop innovative, sustainable solutions to real-world concerns and challenges. The company is also proactively removing hazardous substances from existing products and formulations, rather than waiting for regulations or legislation to force changes.

That is precisely the stance one would expect from the first company in the world to remove lead from its

paint products and the initiator of a multi-award-winning priority substance program. AkzoNobel has also pioneered the Sustainable Product Portfolio Assessment (SPPA) method, which is responsible for developing its product portfolio.

The SPPA takes a holistic view of product portfolio sustainability, with a focus on developing sustainability advantages that AkzoNobel can offer to customers. The SPPA was instrumental in developing a broad range of sustainable solutions (products and services) that deliver sustainability advantages downstream and now account for 40% of the company’s portfolio. Prime examples are the Eco-premium solutions that offer clear sustainability benefits and outstrip competitors, leading to best-in-class designations. All sustainable solutions are developed with four drivers: productivity, asset protection, surface enhancement, and environmental protection.

By 2030, AkzoNobel expects sustainable solutions to make up more than 50% of the company’s portfolio. It also expects to move closer to 0% priority substances and to use 50% recycled content in plastic packaging for decorative paints in Europe.

People. Planet. Paint: The Key to Sustainability and Protecting the Earth The People. Planet. Paint. initiative pioneered by AkzoNobel is groundbreaking in several ways. One of those is the focus on making a positive impact on people and communities around the world – more fun, livable spaces, more preservation of heritage sites and landmarks, and ensuring a safe work environment where human rights are respected.

Another remarkable component is the focus on elevating health and wellbeing. This goes far beyond offering health plans to employees – innovative paints and coating products can improve indoor air quality, boost mental health, and even reduce stress and improve concentration.

Energy consumption and CO2 reduction are also critical components. AkzoNobel focuses on creating innovative paints and coatings to reduce fuel consumption, limit heat transfer, amplify light emission, and more, all with minimal VOCs, waterbased products, and other carbonreduction methods.

Waste reduction throughout the company’s production cycle is also vital. Waste and water can be reused and recycled, including overspray. High-solid products help reduce packaging waste while powder coatings have a 99% reclamation efficiency rate. Of course, all of these goals must be reached while still ensuring the best possible performance and durability for customers.

Finally, the ultimate goal of the initiative is this: creating a greener, healthier planet for everyone, as well as the species with which we share it. Green buildings and green homes, innovative waste-reduction and recycling programs, new product formulations, and partnerships with other innovators and industry leaders will help achieve these ambitious goals. ◆

About the Author Pamela Phua has more than 20 years’ experience in Research, Development and Innovation (RD&I) in the coatings industry. In her current role as Director of RD&I for AkzoNobel, she drives new technology development and product implementation across the South East, South Asia and Middle East regions.

Ms Phua was instrumental in setting up the global research and laboratory operations for AkzoNobel Decorative Paints (Global Exterior Wallpaint Expertise Group) in 2011. In her global capacity, Ms Phua implements the functional and product innovation strategy for Exterior Wallpaint. She spearheads the RD&I functional excellence, standards and capability and the efficient delivery of processes as the approved Standards & Processes across the globe. Her efforts enabled AkzoNobel’s businesses to roll out new products and services across the region in a fast and coordinated manner, supported by an agile supply chain, efficient sourcing and robust quality control.

Some leading innovations launched by Ms Phua and her team included interior and exterior emulsion paints such as Dulux Weathershield Powerflexx, Dulux Pentalite, Dulux Wash & Wear / Easyclean, and Dulux Catylac / Inspire. Her expertise and experience has been instrumental in the setting up of industry standards in Singapore. She is the Technical Chairperson for the Singapore Paint Industry Association and a committee member in the Chemical Standards Council of Singapore.

She has helped to set up several Singapore Standards, including SS345, SS150, SS500 and SS494. She is an industry consultant to regulatory bodies such as Spring Singapore, Singapore Green Label, the Housing and Development Board, Singapore Green Building Council, National Environment Agency and the Singapore Institute of Architects. She is also an A*Star certified auditor for accredited testing laboratories in Singapore.

Pamela took part in various series of United Nation Climate Change Conferences, last being COP23 in Germany Bonn in 2017 where she shared innovative solutions to combat challenges around Climate change and contributing to developing smart cities for better tomorrow.

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