AkzoNobel’s pioneering methodol- ogy for rewarding ship owners who use sustainable hull coatings
has been named Environmental Leader
Product of the Year for 2016. The award
recognizes the introduction of the shipping industry’s first carbon credits methodology, which was developed by the
company’s Marine Coatings business.
Launched in 2014 in conjunction
with The Gold Standard Foundation
and Fremco Group, the scheme is based
on ship owners converting existing vessels from a biocidal antifouling system
to a premium, biocide-free hull coating
such as Intersleek, part of AkzoNobel’s
International range of marine coatings.
The methodology financially rewards
ship owners for using sustainable hull
coatings that improve operational efficiencies and reduce emissions. This is
reflected in the awards success, which
specifically recognizes the role of the initiative in improving environmental and
energy management in the shipping industry, while delivering bottom line benefits to those who participate.
Commenting on the company’s award,
the judging panel said: “Intersleek is a
great technology to help reduce green-
house emissions from the shipping indus-
try, and the carbon credits methodology
will help incentivize ship owners to adopt
it. This could be a very impactful initia-
tive, leading the industry towards sustain-
able shipping.”
Oscar Wezenbeek, managing director of
AkzoNobel Marine Coatings, added: “We
are delighted that our efforts to support our
customers, while also making an important
contribution to reducing global emissions,
has been recognized. This award shows the
impact and relevance of our carbon credits
methodology, not just within the shipping
industry, but also in the context of the wid-
er global sustainability agenda. It also pro-
vides external validation, which we hope
will give ship owners further motivation to
enroll in the scheme.”
Earlier this year, Neda Maritime
Agency Co Ltd, a leading Greek tanker
and bulker owner, became the world’s
first ship owner to be awarded carbon
credits through AkzoNobel’s landmark
scheme. The company received a total of
13,375 carbon credits – potentially worth
around $60,000.
Each carbon credit accrued represents
the avoidance of one ton of CO2 being emitted to the atmosphere, meaning
that Neda Maritime has offset a total of
13,375 ton of CO2 from its business.
Environmental Leader is a leading
daily trade publication covering energy,
environmental and sustainability news.
The award was presented to AkzoNobel
during the recent Environmental Leader
Product & Project Awards ceremony held
in Denver in the US.
Axalta Coating Systems
to Acquire Coil and Spray
Coatings Manufacturer
Dura Coat Products
Axalta Coating Systems has announced
that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Dura Coat Products, a
manufacturer of coatings for metal coil
and related markets in North America.
Pursuant to the agreement, Axalta will
initially purchase a majority stake in Dura
Coat at the closing which is expected to
occur in the third quarter of 2016 and the
remaining outstanding shares by January
2019, subject to required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Financial terms of the transaction
were not disclosed.
Founded in 1986, Dura Coat has de-
veloped a leadership position in the mar-
ket via its singular focus on overcoming
customer challenges through innovation.
Well-known Dura Coat brands include
Durapon, Ceranamel and the XT series
of specialty coatings. Dura Coat’s in-
novative product lines have been for-
mulated to suit a variety of building
construction needs, general industrial
applications, and treatment of aluminum
extrusions. Dura Coat takes great pride
in its strong environmental initiatives
which it achieves through sound manu-
facturing practices and with products
that have eliminated or reduced hazard-
ous air pollutants. Its products are mar-
ket-leading Cool Roof, Energy Star and
LEED 29 compliant. Dura Coat operates
two state-of-the-art coatings manufac-
turing plants in Riverside, California
and Huntsville, Alabama.
“This is an exciting milestone in
the evolution of both Axalta and Dura
Coat,” explained Axalta Chairman and
CEO Charlie Shaver. “Dura Coat’s mar-
ket-leading technology, strong company
values, and commitment to customers
are extremely well-aligned with Axalta’s
priorities. With this partnership, we look
forward to offering our combined cus-
tomer base an even broader range of so-
lutions to meet their requirements with
the most innovative coil coating products
and colors in the marketplace today.”
Axalta is already familiar with the
marketplace for the types of coil sheets
which benefit from Dura Coat products.
Axalta has offerings complementary to
those served by Dura Coat, including
leading global brands Alesta and Abcite
powder coatings, AquaEC electrocoat
products, and Imron® Industrial coat-
ings which each provide customers in the
construction, architectural, and general
industrial sectors with durable coatings
formulated to protect, increase produc-
tivity, and add beauty.
“All of us at Dura Coat are excited
about the opportunity to become a part
of the Axalta family,” explained Myung
K. Hong, founder, president and chairman of Dura Coat. “Axalta’s customer
focus and global footprint will help open
more doors for our products, and will enable us to build on the successful legacy
of Dura Coat. The strong commitment to
technology that we share will enable us to
continue to deliver innovative products
AkzoNobel’s Methodology for Sustainable
Ship Owners Wins Environmental Award
