Clariant has chosen the European Coatings Show in Nuremberg, Germany, to mark the company-wide roll-out of its EcoTain sustainability excellence label – one aspect of its on-going efforts to support customers with a more sustainable product portfolio.At a media conference on April 22, 2015, Clariant emphasized its commitment to working with third parties, including customers, suppliers, policy makers, and other stakeholders, to continuously improve the sustainability of its portfolio and add value. Clariant received the support of the think-and-do tank Collaborating Centre on Sustainable Consumption and Production (CSCP), to create a well-defined set of 36 criteria against which all its products can be screened. The process takes into account social, performance and environmental factors. Clariant assigns its flagship EcoTain label to those products showing best-in-class sustainability and performance excellence, providing a clear indicator to customers of their added value.
Joachim Krüger, Senior Vice President Corporate Sustainability & Regulatory Affairs, commented that the screening process - known internally as the Portfolio Value Program – provides a very transparent assessment benchmark to support customers looking to improve their own sustainability.
"Portfolio screening, using comprehensive and well-defined criteria, gives us a clear idea of the sustainability of all of our products, and enables us to steer future portfolio improvements and R&D efforts towards greater sustainability," said Joachim Krüger. "The EcoTain label goes the next step, visibly letting our customers know which products exceed market sustainability standards and are best-in-class. We believe we are unique within our industry in offering this level of credible support to our customers."
Clariant was joined at the press conference by Michael Kuhndt, Managing Director of the CSCP, who highlighted the tools and processes behind the development of EcoTain and the importance of developing the screening system through continuous dialog with stakeholders.
"The Portfolio Value Program is a pioneering approach and the result of intensive development effort. Its unique future-oriented criteria measure not only the direct footprint of our products, but their potential contribution to the development of sustainable products. It is our belief that these aspects, developed in close consultation with business, politicians, civil society, and academia, provide the solid base behind the EcoTain label and advance the chemicals industry's support for a more sustainable society," said Mr. Kuhndt.
Keeping the relevance on the industry focus of the European Coatings Show, senior representatives from Clariant presented innovative products, and application-focused solutions and support services evolving from its sustainability improvement approach. These included products already qualifying for the EcoTain label. Michael Grosskopf, Head of Business Unit Pigments, and Alexander Snell, Head of Sales Industial Applications Business Unit Industrial & Consumer Specialties, featured examples from the approximate 40 current EcoTain products for the Paints & Coatings sector.
