Accelerated farewell to fossil raw materials
Baril Coatings recently decided to say goodbye to fossil raw materials at an accelerated pace. Following the Copperant product line, all Baril Coatings product lines are being converted into biobased raw materials in phases. Baril Coatings hopes to have completed this transition in combination with performance improvement within 5 years and thus take its responsibility to proactively meet the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Win win situation
The advantage of using renewable raw materials compared to fossil (petroleum-based) raw materials is that these raw materials are more easily extracted and can be processed with less energy into the right binding agent or auxiliary. A win-win situation because the total CO2 balance when using these raw materials is significantly more favorable than that of fossil raw materials. What makes the balance even more positive is that Baril Coatings' new biobased product lines with less layer thickness perform the same or better than conventional solutions.
Demand for biobased coatings is increasing
“Our industry is in a transition phase. The impact of the activities of the paint industry on the carrying capacity of the earth must be further reduced," says Geert Duijghuisen, CEO of Baril Coatings. According to him, this can be done in different ways. “In addition to using sustainable energy and electrification of our transport, our focus is on using renewable and circular raw materials.”
Sustainable Development Goals
Providing sustainable coating solutions to customers and stakeholders is the mission of Baril Coatings. The accelerated conversion of product lines to biobased raw materials is only one sub-implementation (SDG 12) of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals to make the world a better place by 2030. Baril Coatings is happy to endorse this UN objective and has already fulfilled several goals in concrete terms.
“For example, our machines run on self-generated energy and our car fleet is electric (SDG 7). Do we pay maximum attention to our people; Occupational health and safety-friendly workplaces, flexible working and standard progressive remuneration and training (SDG 8). As an innovative development company, we work daily on the 'want to achieve more with less' (SDG 9). We are curious by nature, which is why there is a lot of attention for Research and Development in the field of product and process. In our new laboratory, 15 people are continuously working to realize our ambitions. Low-emission production, making our process more sustainable and using renewable raw materials is our contribution to improving our living environment (SDG 13). We contribute to the protection of seas and oceans (SDG 14) by producing as much plastic-free as possible. By means of waste separation, residual flows are offered for reuse. And by minimizing (eliminating) toxic substances in our coatings, we contribute to the recovery and preservation of biodiversity (SDG 15)”, says Duijghuisen.
Call to industry to move along
“We are well aware that we cannot achieve the end goals alone. We are therefore looking for intensive cooperation in the chains, because we are convinced that connecting leads to acceleration. Hereby a call to suppliers, fellow manufacturers and customers to move with us (SDG 17)!”
Be green, act green
Baril Coatings has also deeply embedded the 'one-planet' philosophy in its mission and business operations. “We are aware of our responsibility as a producer. Everything we put in, we want to get out. That's in our DNA. Our entire business process is continuously examined and we are constantly looking at whether more sustainable solutions are possible without sacrificing quality. Baril Coatings is therefore a real 'doing' company and shows sustainable commitment through actions. Our goal: to become the 'greenest paint company in the Netherlands'!