Coatings body launches sustainability initiative

The initiative, which comes under the BCF’s existing Coatings Care umbrella, is being led by its Sustainability Policy Committee.

Moira McMillan, BCF chief executive, told Packaging News: “We will set sustainability codes which members will commit to, covering areas such as improving their environmental performance and the use of raw materials.

“The initiative will move forward as individual action projects to help members.”

To launch the initiative, the BCF carried out a survey among members. It found that 61% of companies in the sector were aware of the importance attached by the government and the EC on promoting sustainability.

It found that 78% of companies saw sustainability as a business opportunity, although among those a proportion saw it as a cost as well.

Among the survey sample more than 85% of respondents said they had already made changes or introduced innovations that had resulted in improved sustainability, a large proportion of these related to product redesign to improve performance and to reduce environmental impact either during manufacture or during distribution.

It found that 78% of respondents stated that they planned to make changes or introduce innovation that will result in further improved sustainability.

Chairman of the sustainability committee Brian Widdop, technical director UK & Eire at Crown Paints, said: “It is one of the BCF’s key roles to act as the voice of the coatings industry, communicating with customers, end-users and the media to ensure that the positive environmental actions that the industry is taking are known and understood.

“The sustainability initiative is part of that activity and will include the creation of a definitive policy which it is anticipated will be available by the end of first quarter, 2009 and which will explain the industry’s position on sustainability.”

The BCF is the sole trade association for the decorative paints, industrial coatings, powder coatings, printing inks and wallcoverings manufacturing industry in the UK. It represents more than 85% of the total market in the UK, with a value of over £2.2bn.