FEATURE
Kerry Pianoforte, Editor
Over the past several years, both commercial and con- sumer demand for environmentally-friendly products has been increasing. As more regulations come to pass,
consumers of paints and coatings are becoming more aware of
the advantages of using “greener” products.
The move to use low- and zero-VOC coatings is being
driven by both environmental regulations and increased consumer awareness.
At the forefront of regulatory issues is California’s South
Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The
SCAQMD develops, adopts and implements an Air Quality
Management Plan for bringing the area into compliance with
the clean air standards established by national and state govern-
mental legislation. SCAQMD is one of the nation’s most strin-
gent regulatory bodies on paint and coatings emissions and is
considered a bellwether for national air quality actions.
Another major player in the push for more environmentally-
friendly products is The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC)
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) initia-
tive. Throughout the past several years LEED has continued to
gain momentum. In fact, at the end of 2013 it launched Leed
v4, the newest version of the LEED green building program.
Developed by the USGBC, LEED has revolutionized the market-
place since 1998 as the world’s benchmark for the design, con-
struction and operation of high-performance green buildings.
Coatings manufacturers look to low- and zero-VOC
products as a key driver for their business. Global Industry
Analysts (GIA) recently released a trend report on latex coat-
ings. According the report, growing demand for low-VOC
coatings drives the market for latex coatings. The market for
Paint manufacturers look to low- and zero-VOC technologies to drive growth.
Low- and Zero-VOC
Paint Technology
