Waterborne coatings are advanced solutions of the coating products with lesser environmental impact. These products use water as the solvent medium and have lower harmful emissions as compared to the solvent borne ones. The global water borne coatings are primarily driven by the growth of end-use applications such as construction, general industries, and automotive.
Rising construction activities coupled with the maintenance of the existing structures has tremendously driven the demand for these products. Protection of the surface and decoration are two main functions of these products that are of considerable economic importance. As water borne these products is the result of technological development in the paints & coatings industry and is an environmentally-friendly options, it is rapidly becoming preferred option by many consumers around the globe.
The industry has also witnessed significant advancements in terms of the resin materials for the coatings formulation. Polyurethane based waterborne coatings are the result of such developments and are used widely on account of lower volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. Moreover, real-time polymer monitoring systems have optimized the production of many such polymers, which are widely used in the manufacturing of the coatings.
Further trends in the materials for these products include UV-cure coating formulations and “intelligent binders” in protective water borne coatings. These are new, viable, and attractive options for applications in polymer coaters, OEMs, contract coaters, extruders, thermoformers, and formed polymers.
The growth of industry is also a result of the favorable regulatory framework, however, the scenario became increasingly complex and expensive for the coating suppliers when the trend started. Numerous regulatory agencies such as REACH and ECHA have prescribed standards for reduction of harmful emissions in the environment from solvent borne coatings. This trend resulted in the growth of eco-friendly coating segments such as water borne and powder.
The market has wide scope in almost all the regions of the world with Asia Pacific as the fastest growing regional player. China, India, Japan, and South Korea are significant contributors for this regional growth. North America and Europe are the mature waterborne coating markets with an average growth rate slower than Asia Pacific in the near future.
The global industry constitutes of large number of domestic and international players. Some of the key market players include PPG Industries, Inc, BASF SE, Axalta Coatings, DowDuPont, Sherwin-Williams Company, and AkzoNobel NV. Other notable manufacturers include RPM International, Kansai Paint Company Ltd., The Valspar Corporation, and Jotun Group.
