Life Waterborne BioPAINT

The LIFE-Waterborne BioPaint Project (LIFE19 ENV/IT/000074) has the goal of reducing the environmental impact of the targeted products along a number of vectors:

• CO2 emissions will be reduced by 66%, for a total decrease of 16,000 tons/year
• VOC emissions will be cut by 90%, a reduction of 4500 tons/year
• petrochemical material footprint will be reduced by at least 45%*
• the use of unsafe materials will also fall by 40%, -800 tons/year

(*) even using conventional resins

 

 

 

Life-Cycle Assessment

Life-Cycle Assessment is a methodology, now standardized at the international level, that makes it possible to quantify the environmental impact of a good or service. For a product, the evaluation involves its entire lifecycle: from the extraction of the raw materials to its final disposal or recycling.

 

 

Policy implications

By reducing VOC production, transport, use and emission, overall material footprint and, crucially, carbon footprint, LIFE WB BioPaint impacts the EU Green Deal COM/2019/640 and the Circular Economy Action Plan

More specifically, the project fully complies with:

• REACH directives and the EU Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006)
• Paints Directive (Directive 2004/42/EC) on VOC
• Directive 2010/75/EU on Industrial Emissions by reducing VOCs emission
• Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC on ambient air quality and cleaner air for EU

 

VOC reduction also achieves the improvement of  health and working conditions complying with:

• Directive 2017/164, and previous 80/1107/EEC and 2009/161/EU
• Directives on Occupational Exposure limit values and on the protection of workers from the risks of exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents at work
• Directive 2012/18/EU (Seveso III), aiming at ensuring operators safety in the workplace by preventing major accidents

 

IVM Chemicals already produces binders in biobased versions, with bio-renewable content of over 70%*.

The aim of the Life Waterborne BioPAINT project is to achieve yet greater environmental improvements by using these more sustainable materials in the new process.

(*) excluding the solvent