Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in the building industry and is an increasingly necessary discourse.
Sustainability can be considered as an ecologically friendly way of building a structure. This is just one factor of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The energy, waste and manufacturing industries are other areas where sustainability is increasingly desired to achieve strong CSR ratings and consequently impress ecologically conscious consumers, and more importantly, do the right thing by mankind and the planet. Read more about A&I Coatings Sustainability Journey here.
A&I Coatings recognised in the 1990s that existing polyurethane coatings they were making (and using in their contracting division) weren’t lasting long enough. They researched the most durable resins available and moved into the development of fluoropolymer-based coatings. These give extraordinary service life and colour and gloss retention, greatly extending the recoat time.
Solvent is used in a solvent borne coating simply to help with getting the paint onto the surface. Application would be impossible for some resin bases without solvent. However, then the solvent evaporates and breaks down in the atmosphere. Volatile organic compounds can also cause harm to respiratory and nervous systems if they are inhaled. Solvent borne coatings include VOCs (volatile organic compounds) which can continue to be released for up to five years after the coat of paint has dried. A&I has for many years been working towards more ecologically friendly solvents.
What is Eco Friendly Coating?
Eco friendly coating is paint that contains a reduced number of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Eco-friendly coatings are typically made of water soluble resins. A&I Coatings started to develop a range of water borne coatings in the early 2000s. The water component of such coatings largely replaces solvent as a means of getting paint onto the surface. Eco-friendly coatings are also mostly odourless and cause far less harm to the environment during manufacturing than traditional coatings. A&I’s range of water borne coatings include epoxies, polyurethanes, and fluoropolymers and are sold through a range of top distributors.
Are A&I Coatings Products Sustainable?
In the coatings industry, health, climate change and circularity have been identified as the primary factors comprising sustainability. A&I Coatings does everything in our power to commit to these three ideals. We maintain a focus on safety and protecting the environment to safeguard employees, contractors and communities where we operate. This means our products comply fully with legal, certification and other regulatory requirements. We provide safety guidelines alongside all of our products in order to instruct in correct use of our coating products. Our internal standards, performance evaluation processes and audits are the foundation of our commitment to health, climate change and circularity. They are also a driving factor in our products’ success and continual improvement.
Why Use A&I Coatings’ Coatings Products?
As well as delivering a bright future, our commitment to sustainable products can play a big impact on both the lifespan of your structure and its overall maintenance expense. We regularly upgrade our products at A&I Coatings to ensure critical materials are replaced as soon as they are discovered. This ensures long product life and a durable finish with excellent life cycle savings. From product development to hazard communication, chemical compliance, transport and customer evaluation, we constantly strive to improve our business operations and product assembly with the goal of continuous improvement.
A&I Coatings manufacturing sustainability initiatives.
A&I doesn’t only manufacture ecologically friendly products, it uses ecologically friendly manufacturing methods. These include minimal external electricity usage with an extensive battery of solar panels. All used drums are crushed and recycled. Landfill is kept to a minimum with recycling of packaging and cardboard waste.
Contact A&I Coatings Today
All A&I products are 100% Australian made and are sustainable for use in a large range of applications. Our technical team is always ready to steer in right direction on your project Just call 1800 819 585 or email helpdesk@aicoatings.com if you have any questions.
Watch this space, there is a lot more coming in the way of sustainable, ecologically friendly coatings.
