AkzoNobel - a commitment for better People. Planet. Paint

AkzoNobel - a commitment for better People. Planet. Paint

Pamela Phua, regional marketing director and Product Management Director of AkzoNobel Decorative Paints Business, South Eeast & South Asia said, “We set a clear agenda to reduce carbon emissions across our value chain by 50 per cent by 2030 to align with the Paris Agreement and do our part to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. This is only possible if we join hands with our upstream supplier partners and downstream customers to reduce all of our emissions and carbon footprints. Building a sustainable future needs consistent actions every day, focusing on the things we can truly influence.”

“Our ambition is to lead our industry by pioneering a world of possibilities, by empowering people, reducing our impact on the planet, and consistently innovating to deliver the most sustainable solutions for our customers – we call this People.Planet.Paint.,” she added.

Track record of sustainability

Sustainability is one of AkzoNobel’s core values, and is integrated in everything the company does. Whether it is coatings that protect against bacteria, save energy, or transform spaces through colour, they are experts in looking beyond the surface to bring it to life.

AkzoNobel is a member of various associations and organisations which align with its sustainability approach,

including the World Green Building Council, United Nations Global Compact, Together for Sustainability, RE100, the Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition, the Ocean Cleanup, SOS Children’s Villages International, and more.

The company’s efforts have also been recognised by Sustainalytics (assessed as low-risk, the best possible rating in the industry), EcoVadis (platinum rating placing AkzoNobel in the top 1 per cent of all companies studied), MSCI (AAA rating for six consecutive years), Vigeo Eiris (first in industry), Corporate Knights Clean 200, and more.

As a leader in its industry, AkzoNobel is committed to playing its part in pioneering a world of possibilities to bring surfaces to life while empowering people and minimising the impact on the planet through the launch of People. Planet. Paint.

Keys to sustainability

People: AkzoNobel acts with integrity and respect for human rights across its operations and value chain, embracing diversity and inclusion to transform the communities in which it operates. It is about ensuring a safe and diverse work environment, developing talented workforce, embracing values and human rights. AkzoNobel supports the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN’s Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work of the International Labour Organization.

Planet: For many years, AkzoNobel has been working to operate more sustainably, and took steps to reduce its environmental impact through reformed value chains. They focus particularly on reducing energy use, carbon emissions, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and waste while increasing the use of renewable energy and materials.

The company aims to reduce carbon emissions in its operations by 50 per cent by 2030 and by 42 per cent across the whole value chain against a 2020 baseline, reducing energy consumption by 30 per cent by 2030, and use 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. They also have an ambition to produce zero non-reusable waste and to recycle wasted water at the most water-intensive sites. These ambitions are not only achievable – AkzoNobel is already on track to get there.

Paint: Currently, AkzoNobel generates 40 per cent of its revenue from sustainable solutions. While this is the highest in the industry, AkzoNobel continues to focus on innovation and pioneering new products with a sustainability benefit. By 2030, sustainable solutions will make up more than 50 per cent of AkzoNobel’s revenue.

Today, the company has committed to tackling climate change and helping customers reduce their own emissions through intelligently designed products and solutions, including the reduction of the urban heat island effect.

The surfaces of buildings reflect and absorb infrared radiation from the sun in the form of heat. This causes exterior walls to heat up, which is subsequently transmitted to the interior.

Many cities experience this effect, especially the ones where temperatures go above 35 degrees Celsius throughout the year, raising energy consumption.

Thanks to innovative technology and smart formulation modelling software, AkzoNobel’s researchers have developed strategies to increase the solar reflectivity of its coatings. They have carefully managed the pigments they use in paints to create striking colours while significantly increasing the amount of infrared radiation reflected by building façades. The result is a difference of up to 5 degrees between a façade coated with a normal exterior paint and one with Dulux Weathershield Keep Cool products.