News Markets & Companies
Sustainable coatings: from ambition to implementation
The conversation around sustainable coatings has fundamentally shifted: once a marketing differentiator, sustainability has become a baseline expectation embedded in procurement, regulation and corporate ESG strategies. European Coatings spoke with sustainability experts from BASF, Stahl International, Hempel and Jotun Performance Coatings.
There is no single industry definition of a sustainable coating. BASF applies a value-chain perspective from raw materials to end-of-life, Stahl frames it as a data-driven design philosophy, Hempel links it to commercial outcomes and verifiable lifecycle improvements, and Jotun prefers the term “more sustainable” solutions with lower total environmental impact.
Across all four companies, regulation is the dominant driver. CSRD, the EU Green Deal and upcoming green-claims rules are pushing customers from generic statements toward verified, auditable data, while suppliers are expected to help cut Scope 3 emissions. Water-borne systems, biomass and recycled feedstocks, and durability-focused approaches are seen as key levers, though no single innovation will deliver the transition.
Challenges remain consistent: cost premiums, limited raw material availability, validation effort and willingness to pay. A gap also persists in the decorative DIY segment, where consumers do not yet prioritise sustainability. Overall, the industry is moving from aspirational claims to verified data and lifecycle thinking – with sustainability and performance increasingly seen as two sides of the same value proposition.
The complete market report is available in the June issue of the European Coatings Journal.
