WAF Special
AkzoNobel goes for gold in the paint industry Fresh from their success in winning global recognition as the top sustainable paint manufacturer , Jeremy Rowe ( MD , AkzoNobel Decorative Paints SESAME ) talks to B & I .
THERE IS SOMETHING to be said about being on top of your game and that is , staying there ; case in point , the No . 1 spot on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index ( DJSI ) for the 4th year in succession ! A milestone that AkzoNobel , a leading global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals , attributes to continual commitment to best practices in business , resource efficiency and strategic partnerships . To its end-user segments , namely , Buildings and Infrastructure , Transportation , Consumer Goods and Industrial , this accolade is manifested in the delivery of innovative products and sustainable technologies worldwide . On the DJSI ranking and other matters uniquely AkzoNobel , B & I caught up with Mr Jeremy Rowe , Managing Director , AkzoNobel Decorative Paints , South East & South Asia , Middle East .
B & I : Firstly , our belated congratulations to AkzoNobel for your No . 1 spot on the DJSI , 4 years in a row ! To the consumer , how and where is this sustainability manifested / translated ?
JR : We find that , increasingly , probably first with architects , interior designers and
now consumers , they care about where the product comes from , where it is made , how it is made , how was it put together and how the products impacts on the bigger environment , which is what sustainability is all about . It is critical for the team at AkzoNobel to make sure that our sustainability is measured externally , by a third party . The DJSI is a good way to do it because it is global , it is external and independent .
We have to submit a lot of information of what we do , how we manage our product , how we design and make things , and then they figure out the ranking , that ’ s their job . To date , we have been in the top 3 for 10 years and No . 1 for the last 4 years . Such recognition translate into a simple message that when consumers buy our products , they can be sure that they are buying from a very sustainable paint company .
Two of the biggest drivers for sustainability of paint , meaning its carbon footprint and effect on the environment , are how you design and make the product . Design means what ’ s in it , i . e ., the choice of raw materials suppliers you work with and then the way the products are formulated . That ’ s a lot of choices there , for example , a particular ingredient is to be put in , let ’ s
Mr Jeremy Rowe , Managing Director , AkzoNobel Decorative Paints , South East & South Asia , Middle East .
say , to help fight bacteria ; you can choose a sustainable or non-sustainable way to do that – we choose the sustainable route .
Sometimes it costs slightly more but we absorb that cost because we don ’ t think that people should have to pay for a more sustainable product . From that standpoint , consumers can choose to buy Dulux Weathershield with heat reflective technology which has this special feature where , firstly , you spend less money on energy to cool the house and , secondly the radiation is reflected straight back out , into the atmosphere . For interior walls , for example , the special feature of Dulux Light and Space is to reflect more light internally making rooms , corridors , stairwells brighter ; you can actually reduce the wattage of your lights and use less energy .
B & I : What are the other DJSI criteria or measurements of sustainability ?
JR : There are some others that people would not recognise quite so much , like we get our paint to last longer and stay cleaner , meaning longevity and durability . Another DJSI criterion is manufacturing , i . e ., eco-efficiency of production , solar lighting , waste-water
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