BASF, Arkema, and AkzoNobel achieve up to 40% lower carbon footprint in Interpon architectural powder coatings through value chain collaboration

(IN BRIEF) BASF, Arkema, and AkzoNobel have reduced the carbon footprint of AkzoNobel’s Interpon D superdurable architectural powder coatings by up to 40% through a value chain partnership focused on renewable raw materials and supplier-specific carbon data. BASF supplies NPG ZeroPCF produced with renewable electricity, Arkema transforms it into lower-emission polyester resins, and AkzoNobel integrates these into its Interpon products. The collaboration not only improves carbon calculations with greater accuracy but also makes coatings more sustainable for green building certification. The three companies have published an industry case study and plan to expand their partnership to accelerate decarbonization in the paint and coatings sector.

(PRESS RELEASE) LUDWIGSHAFEN, 15-Sep-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — BASF, Arkema, and AkzoNobel have strengthened their partnership to drive lower carbon emissions in the paint and coatings industry, achieving up to a 40% reduction in the carbon footprint of AkzoNobel’s superdurable Interpon D architectural powder coatings. This milestone has been reached through a combination of bio-attributed raw materials, supplier-specific product carbon footprint (PCF) data, and renewable electricity, offering a clear pathway for sustainable innovation across the coatings value chain.

BASF is supplying neopentyl glycol (NPG) with a product carbon footprint of zero (NPG ZeroPCF), manufactured using biomass balance and renewable electricity. Arkema transforms these bio-attributed raw materials into superdurable polyester resins, which AkzoNobel then incorporates into its Interpon powder coatings. Compared with previous methods that relied on industry average data, the use of supplier-specific PCF data has made the footprint calculations significantly more accurate, reflecting real-world investments in energy efficiency and renewable power.

“This initiative reflects our commitment to offering more sustainable solutions through innovation and collaboration,” said Vasilios Galanos, Senior Vice President, Intermediates Europe, BASF. “By supplying NPG in a biomass-balanced version manufactured with renewable electricity, we’re supporting our value chain partners in advancing their sustainability objectives while contributing to our own vision of being the preferred partner for sustainable intermediates.”

Jeff Jirak, Director of AkzoNobel’s Powder Coatings business, added:
“This collaboration is a major step forward for the paints and coatings industry. Our customers need solutions that support their environmental goals and green building certification. By working across the value chain, we’re taking meaningful steps towards carbon footprint reduction while underlining our long-term commitment to sustainability.”

Richard Jenkins, Senior Vice President Coating Solutions and Member of the Executive Committee at Arkema, emphasized the broader impact:
“By leveraging renewable bio-attribution and sustainable innovations, we’re enabling continuous improvement in low temperature cure and high durability solutions. Together, we’re developing the next generation of powder coatings with lower emissions for the building and construction sector.”

All of AkzoNobel’s superdurable Interpon powder coatings produced in Europe, including its color collections and Low-E products, now use reduced emission bio-attributed raw materials. These innovations allow coatings to make a direct contribution to lowering the embodied carbon of the built environment, aligning with green building requirements.

The three partners have also released an industry case study to share insights into the transition to lower carbon footprint powder coatings, including details of the methodology and calculation approach. Building on this success, BASF, Arkema, and AkzoNobel plan to expand their collaboration and invite additional partners across the value chain to accelerate the coatings industry’s transformation toward a more sustainable future.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 112,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €65.3 billion in 2024. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.

About AkzoNobel

Since 1792, we’ve been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people’s lives and protect what matters most. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance everyday life. Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It’s what you’d expect from a pioneering and long-established paints company that’s dedicated to providing more sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we have today – while creating an even better tomorrow. Let’s paint the future together.

About Arkema

Building on its unique set of expertise in materials science, Arkema offers a portfolio of first-class technologies to address ever-growing demand for new and more sustainable materials. With the ambition to become a pure player in Specialty Materials, the Group is structured into 3 complementary, resilient and highly innovative segments dedicated to Specialty Materials – Adhesive Solutions, Advanced Materials, and Coating Solutions – accounting for some 92% of Group sales in 2024, and a well-positioned and competitive Intermediates segment. Arkema offers cutting-edge technological solutions to meet the challenges of, among other things, new energies, access to water, recycling, urbanization and mobility, and fosters a permanent dialogue with all its stakeholders. The Group reported sales of around € 9.5 billion in 2024, and operates in some 55 countries with 21,150 employees worldwide.

1: Superdurability means a demonstrated material protection benefit and meets industry standard requirements of Qualicoat Class 2 and GSB Florida 3.

2: Versus the former carbon footprint calculated for these products. Calculated according to ISO 14067 and Together for Sustainability (TfS) guideline V3 PCF methodology at cradle-to-gate, including biogenic removals (around 5%), and compared with industry average data from the CEPE V4 database for polyester resins (up to 35%). For more information, see page 12-15 of the industry case study.

3: BASF feeds renewable raw materials into its Verbund in the very first steps of chemical production and attributes a corresponding share of the renewable raw materials to specific sales products by means of a certified mass balance method. For further information, please visit The Biomass Balance Approach.

4: PCF calculation at BASF is cradle-to-gate including biogenic carbon uptake, calculated according to ISO 14040, 14044 and 14067 and in line with TfS guidelines. A PCF of zero is achieved by the use of The Biomass Balance Approach and renewable electricity. For further information, please visit ZeroPCF Intermediates.

5: The color collections refer to Interpon D2525 Futura, Anodic, Stone-Effect, Natural Metals and Terracotta; and Interpon D2015 Precis Ultra-Matt.

Media Contacts::

BASF Intermediates
Kerstin Hoffmann
Phone: +49 151 17456842
Kerstin.hoffmann@basf.com

AkzoNobel
Hugo Stienstra
Phone: +31 (0)88 969 7833
media.relations@akzonobel.com

Arkema
Mike Crisp
Phone: +1 864 525 9307
mike.crisp-ext@arkema.com

SPURCE: BASF