The coatings industry has a proud history of developing technologies that eliminated materials of concern, reduced environmental impact, and improved human health outcomes. In hindsight, it is easy to attribute those positive benefits to intentional responses to sustainability drivers.
Upon reflection, however, it is more likely that those sustainability benefits were advantageous unintended consequences of efforts driven by overall performance or cost improvements. In recent years the societal shift towards more sustainable solutions has intensified, but rarely at the expense of performance or cost. Today, we sit at a crossroads. Intentional sustainability is driving dynamic changes in many industries across diverse applications. Our coatings industry
challenge going forward is to adapt to a world where sustainability increasingly comes first.