By: ICN Bureau
Last updated : May 13, 2021 8:04 pm
Provide innovative, eco-friendly solutions and service packages for dealers to meet volatile organic compounds targets
BASF Refinish Coatings invited all its partners along the value chain to jointly seek the optimal path to achieve the new volatile organic compounds (VOC) emission target, at the occasion of its Annual Dealers Conference in China held today in Shanghai.
In 2021, with the launch of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, the chemical industry focused its environmental protection goals on the low-carbon transformation of the industry and the comprehensive regulation of VOC emissions.
Liu Jie, Secretary in General, from China Coatings Industry Association, explained that the major trend of the refinish industry in the next five-year plan will focus on promoting low VOC products significantly. “We’ve seen quite some changes regarding VOC classification and regulation in the recommended version, which is meant to direct the industry towards the new standards in three to five years. This is a good opportunity for us to interpret the details, discuss the way forward and gather feedback from different industry players,” said Liu. “The ever stricter new standards signified the high importance and urgency the Chinese government would like to curb the VOC pollution from the sources.” Liu also shared the staggered implementation status across the country.
“BASF Coatings is responding actively to the central and local governments’ call to reduce VOC emissions. In fact BASF has defined comprehensive and transparent sustainability goals and announced its carbon neutral targets in 2050 in March, in line with the Chinese government’s carbon goal in 2060,” said Patrick Zhao, Senior Vice President, BASF Coatings Solutions Asia Pacific. BASF wants to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It also significantly raised its medium-term 2030 target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent compared with 2018.
“We at BASF Coatings introduced the Coatings’ Carbon Footprint roadmap in 2020, which focused on reducing our carbon footprint along the value chain, from raw materials, production & processes, products & solutions to our employees,” said Patrick.
Close to 120 industry experts, association representatives, OEM partners and dealers agreed that thousands of body shops especially those smaller ones, remain to be the important source of VOC emission and pollution for the refinish industry. The new GB/T put forward challenging targets for all players, which requires all of them to take up the challenge together and co-explore how to continuously lower VOC emissions and meet the new targets while maintaining the growth of the industry.
BASF Refinish Coatings provides innovative, eco-friendly solutions and service packages to meet its own and its customers’ VOC emission targets. For example, NORBIN® 66, is the first waterborne basecoat developed in China, providing cost efficient waterborne coatings that help customers reduce VOC emissions. Glasurit® 100 Line, launched last year globally and in China, is the first basecoat line on the market with a VOC value below 250 g/l, which is a pioneering 40% below the limit of the China GB24409-2020 standard and exceeds all global VOC requirements.