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Akzonobel cleans up at prestigious sustainability awards
Leading paint and coatings manufacturer, AkzoNobel Decorative Paints, is celebrating after picking up two of the three Sustainable Innovation Awards on offer at the British Coatings Federation's (BCF's) annual awards ceremony. The company was also highly commended twice for its sustainable innovations.
The prestigious awards reward outstanding innovations that make the most significant contribution to reducing environmental impacts in the coatings industry, while also contributing to economic and/or social aspects of sustainability.
AkzoNobel Decorative Paints - the manufacturer of Dulux Trade products - picked up its first award for reducing the environmental impact of its Dulux Trade Vinyl Matt White coating. Utilising the innovative research and technology used to create the Dulux Trade Ecosure range, the paint manufacturer developed a new formulation of Vinyl Matt White that contains 15 per cent less embodied carbon and involves 20 per cent less water in the manufacturing process, when compared to its predecessor.
The company was awarded its second top prize for a rain water harvesting initiative at its Prudhoe factory in Northumberland. Engineers at the factory developed a system to capture up to 1.7m litres of rain water per year. The system will cut the factory's annual water usage by up to half, as well as speeding up the entire production process, due to higher water pressure on the site.
AkzoNobel Decorative Paints was also highly commended for its Dulux Trade Contract Partnership accreditation scheme, which assists Dulux Trade Contract Partners with incorporating sustainable practices throughout their operations. The programme was developed in conjunction with Forum for the Future, an independent, non-profit organisation that promotes sustainable development.
Finally, the company was highly commended for its provision of a sustainable package for large scale decoration projects, which includes products to help with reduction in energy needs from artificial lighting, such as Dulux Trade Light & Space, a logistics solution to reduce contractor miles, the reduction of aqueous waste and solids from brush and roller cleaning, and also the reduction of waste by recycling cans.
Commenting on the awards, Ann Noble, Marketing Manager for Sustainability at Dulux Trade, said: "The Sustainable Innovation Awards recognise and celebrate innovative products, processes or services which make a significant contribution to reducing environmental impact, while also contributing to economic and social aspects of sustainability. This reflects the holistic approach that we take here at AkzoNobel Decorative Paints and we are delighted to be recognised for our commitment to sustainability through these prestigious awards.
"When it comes to manufacturing our products, our approach incorporates the entire supply chain. We work across our supply chain - with suppliers, customers and cutting-edge thinkers - to reduce our impact in production, through to application and end of life systems. It is very satisfying, therefore, to have been recognised for our projects across the different stages of the supply chains.
"We are committed to becoming the most sustainable paint manufacturer in the industry, and as such, we are continually innovating and are absolutely thrilled that this has been recognised through these awards."
