APIC meeting: Sustainability and strategy at centre stage

In his speech during the conference opening, Tom Bowtell, President of the World Coatings Council highlighted the importance of the region for the global paints and coatings industry, underscoring that Asia leads the market in every segment. This positive situation in the region was reflected in the speeches by the associations as they reported on market growth in their countries. Nevertheless, they also showed that many challenges for the paints and coatings sector prevail. Most of the associations cited the global geopolitical situation and the resulting uncertainties as major challenges, with particular reference to the tariffs imposed by the U.S. government.

For instance, Markus Winarto, Secretary-General of the Indonesian Paint Manufacturers Association stated: „Amidst persistent global uncertainties and evolving geopolitical dynamics, the Indonesian economy has demonstrated resilience, continuing to post solid growth”.

Hee Peng Teoh, Deputy Chairman Malaysian Paint & Coating Industry Association, also reported that while the Malaysian paint industry has seen positive growth and has recovered after the pandemic, „external headwinds remain a key risk to growth and Trump’s tariffs will bring commodity disruptions.”

Several speeches also mentioned a growing competition. Vuong Bac Dau, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Paint and Printing Ink Association stated: “Vietnam’s paint industry has bottomed out and begun a recovery period. Competition has become fiercer, reducing profits in many sectors.” He also noted impressive growth in the marine coatings sector. This development was also underlined by Pamela Phua, President of the Singapore Paints and Coatings Association, as she explained: „Singapore’s total paint and coating volume has rebounded post-pandemic, with notable export growth in protective, marine and industrial coatings”.

Several associations also shared that solar-reflective coatings have been gaining importance. For instance, Yoshiko Norizuki, Executive Secretary of the Japan Paint Manufacturers, reported that solar-reflective coatings and antiviral paints have recently been receiving increasing R&D attention. She also highlighted a „surge in raw material prices”, which remains a key challenge for the sector, along with the shortage of skilled labour as well as global inflation.

Sustainability, strategy and regulations in focus

In his speech, Pang Guanglian, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee of China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation and Deputy Secretary General, highlighted sustainability as the key trend for the paints and coatings industry. The majority of the presentations by the associations also emphasised their countries’ sustainability efforts and underscored the topic’s importance for the sector. As Reginald Yu, President of the Philippine Paint and Coatings Association, put it: „In 2026, success will not depend on how much paint we sell, but on how we position ourselves for long-term growth and sustainability.”

Another frequently mentioned topic was also digital transformation. For example, Ma Jun, Senior Expert at the China National Coatings Industry Association reported on the focus that the Chinese National Standardization Development Outline Action Plan poses on the deep integration of digital technologies. The chemical industry standard „Digital Transformation Model and Evaluation for the Chemical Industry” was released in July this year and will be implemented in early 2026.

Another key topic was naturally regulations. Many of the associations highlighted green standards being established. Bernard Lee, Executive Officer of the Australian Paint Manufacturers’ Association, reported that the Australian government plans to introduce a national packaging regulation and that there is also a proposal to lower the worker exposure limit from 10 to 2.4 mg/m³, both of which the association has expressed concerns about.

Jean Cho of Chemtopia, presenting on behalf of the Korea Paint & Printing-Ink Industry Cooperative in her speech ‘Adapting to Chemical Regulatory Shifts in Korea,’ spoke about the recent changes under K-REACH and CCA, highlighting the need for additional data, MSDS updates, facility compliance checks, and preparation for stricter classifications.

Visit to the China Coatings Show

Another highlight of the APIC meeting was a visit to the well-attended China Coatings Show. The exhibition took place from September 3 to 5 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, attracting more than 500 exhibitors from the entire supply chain as well as several universities and industries.

Themed “Technology Empowerment Driven by New Quality”, the show filled three halls and featured a supporting programme with presentations on all three days, focusing particularly on environmentally-friendly solutions as well as the latest developments in powder and marine coatings. These technologies were also at the forefront of many booths.

Next meeting in the Philippines

The APIC Meeting 2026 will be hosted by the Philippines Paints & Coatings Association and will take place in Manila, the Philippines. The next edition of the China Coatings Show will take place in June 2026 once again in Shanghai.

Event tip: Pacific Coatings Show 2025

Launched in 2023, the Pacific Coatings Show & Conference has quickly become the leading platform for the coatings industry in the Asia Pacific region. The next edition will take place October 29-31 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Register now and be part of it

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