Company news News & Events

AkzoNobel highlights coatings innovation at COP31

Phil Black - PII Editor 18 seconds ago

25 3 minutes read

Key points

Listen to this article

AkzoNobel is highlighting how coatings innovation can support decarbonisation, resource efficiency and climate resilience across industrial sectors as world leaders gather for COP31 in Antalya, Turkey.

The conference, taking place from 9 to 20 November 2026, has identified 10 priorities through its Action Agenda. Several are particularly relevant to the industrial coatings sector, including clean energy transition and electrification, zero waste, climate-resilient cities, green industrialisation and food security.

Job Coenen, Head of Sustainability at AkzoNobel, will attend COP31 alongside Kemipol, the company’s Turkish joint venture partner for Coil & Extrusion, Wood Finishes, Vehicle Refinishes and Specialty Coatings. Their participation highlights the role of global ambition, local partnerships and customer collaboration in delivering practical climate action.

AkzoNobel says its Industrial Coatings business is already addressing these priorities through three connected areas: prepainted metal coatings, wood finishes and packaging coatings.

Electrification and energy efficiency in metal coatings

AkzoNobel Coil & Extrusion Coatings is helping customers assess the potential to electrify curing processes using renewable energy, moving away from gas-fired ovens while maintaining coating performance and production productivity.

Its IONOMY ecosystem brings together coatings, curing, engineering and implementation expertise to help steel manufacturers and coaters modernise operations. The approach aims to reduce waste, downtime and rework while supporting the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

The company’s COOL CHEMISTRY coil coatings use specialist pigments to reflect infrared energy, helping metal roofing remain cooler. In suitable applications, this can reduce the energy required to cool buildings.

Wood finishes and lower-carbon construction

AkzoNobel Wood Finishes is working with customers in the built environment to support more sustainable material choices and the transition to electricity-based UV LED curing.

Research conducted with the University of Amsterdam found that, in the scenarios assessed, timber-based façades and window frames had lower cradle-to-grave carbon footprints than comparable aluminium, steel and PVC alternatives.

The assessment identified the substrate as the primary driver of emissions. Coatings accounted for between 4% and 37% of the assessed footprint, depending on the material and application.

The findings are outlined in AkzoNobel’s white paper, The case for wood in more sustainable buildings.

Through its ‘It all adds up’ campaign, AkzoNobel Wood Finishes is also helping manufacturers assess the potential of UV and UV LED curing on their production lines. Resources include educational materials, a digital calculator to evaluate potential cost, energy and productivity benefits, and technical guidance on application and implementation.

Packaging coatings support food protection and circularity

AkzoNobel Packaging Coatings is addressing food security priorities by developing coatings that protect food during storage and distribution and help support shelf life.

The company says these solutions can contribute to reducing food waste while helping can makers and brand owners respond to evolving regulatory expectations and concerns around substances, circularity and climate impact.

Coatings that protect food and maintain its quality during distribution also support access to nutritious products, including in areas with limited access to fresh food.

Collaboration to accelerate climate action

Job Coenen said: “Climate action depends on moving from ambition to implementation. AkzoNobel has achieved its 2030 SBTI approved carbon reduction to halve Scope 1 and 2 emissions four years ahead of schedule, but continued progress depends on working across the value chain. COP31’s focus on clean energy, zero waste, resilient cities and green industrialisation reflects the need to use resources more efficiently and build systems that can perform for the long term – all areas that we are actively supporting our customers with.”

Tessa Slagter, Sustainable Innovation Manager at AkzoNobel Industrial Coatings, added that practical solutions need to deliver value across different applications.

“Industrial coatings have a practical role in the transition to more resource-efficient systems. In coil and extrusion coatings, this includes practical routes towards renewable energy curing that can reduce energy demand, support a shift from fossil fuels and reduce waste, downtime and rework. In wood coatings, protecting timber from moisture, UV radiation and wear can extend service life; in packaging coatings, protecting food and supporting shelf life remain priorities.”

AkzoNobel is working towards halving carbon emissions across its full value chain by 2030, against a 2018 baseline, and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Its COP31 participation follows a Pre-COP31: NL Connect Meeting hosted at the company’s Amsterdam headquarters on 3 November. Organised by the Netherlands British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), the UN Global Compact Network NL and ICC Netherlands, the meeting brought together Dutch businesses, government officials and others involved in climate action to discuss priorities and opportunities for collaboration ahead of the conference.

The Climate Envoy of the Netherlands, Jan Versteeg, opened the meeting by outlining the country’s main priorities for COP31.