AkzoNobel Vietnam honoured with Golden Dragon Award for the 6th consecutive time

In 2018, AkzoNobel Vietnam used 70,000 liters of paint and thousands of volunteer working hours to repaint works

Pamela Phua, general director of AkzoNobel Vietnam, said, “It’s our honour to be recognised at Golden Dragon Awards 2019. Besides recognising our effort in sustainable business and development, it also reflects the increasing involvement of government authorities and developers on this significant topic. The award reaffirms the path we are pursuing and inspires us to provide better, more environmentally friendly products and make life better”.

As sustainability is an integral part of company’s strategy, AkzoNobel is heading towards a goal of achieving 20 per cent of revenues accounted by downstream eco-premium products. At AkzoNobel’s factories all over the world, policy of saving energy, clean water and reusing waste is strictly followed. Besides, the company also involve its suppliers in the process, eventually resulting in offering customers sustainable products.

In recent years, AkzoNobel have consecutively introduced new environmentally friendly products with low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) and ability to neutralise odour, helping ensure a healthy living space. To support urban communities to combat pollution, AkzoNobel embarked on a programme to deliver next generation depolluting paint based on the photocatalysis of titanium dioxide.

By absorbing sunlight, specifically ultraviolet radiation, photoactive titanium dioxide particles can be activated in the presence of oxygen and moisture to produce free radicals. These highly active radicals are capable of degrading pollutants like nitrogen oxide and sulphur oxide, thereby contributing to the abatement of noxious emissions from motor vehicles and other human activities.

For cities experiencing seasons with high temperatures, cooling buildings is a significant source of energy consumption. AkzoNobel has successfully developed a first generation of paints that offers vivid colors together with the ability to keep the surface cooler.

This technology, KeepCool, is based on special pigments that have been selected based on their ability to reflect better in the near infrared region of the solar spectrum, which contributes to 40 per cent of the solar energy. The result is that the surface can be 5 degrees Celsius lower than without this technology, leading to potentially reducing energy use by 10 to 15 per cent for the building.

In addition to innovations in products, AkzoNobel pioneers in promoting sustainable thinking in the community through various events and innitiatives. The company has held and sponsored for a series of events focusing on latest sustainable development trend such as smart city, heritage preservation in Vietnam and abroad.

Another effort has been made to accompanying local community development through projects repainting architectural structures, schools and villages. In 2018, AkzoNobel has sponsored about 70,000 liters of paint and thousands of volunteer working hours to repaint Dai Lanh lighthouse, corridors and houses in Ly Son island, urban alleys, old apartment building in Ho Chi Minh City and schools around the country.

"AkzoNobel Vietnam is one of the foreign pioneers in sustainable development. The efforts of the company over the years have brought remarkable results in the business environment. While creating sustainable products for customers, AkzoNobel also gives positive and meaningful contributions to the community in Vietnam,” said representative of the Golden Dragon Awards - Nguyen The Hao, VET's deputy editor-in-chief.