At Tikkurila we believe in being accurate, honest and transparent in the field of sustainability. As a manufacturer, we need to look at all aspects of our global business from raw material extraction to final disposal in order to make a positive change and become a truly sustainable environmentally neutral company. As such, Tikkurila has anchored its environmental and sustainability policy firmly around LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) and LIFE CYCLE IMPACT ASSESSMENT (LCIA).
Life Cycle Assessment
- Global Warming Potential (GWP)
- Acidification Potential (AP)
- Freshwater Eutrophication Potential (EP)
- Ozone Depletion Potential
- Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential
- Metal Resource Depletion & Fossil Resource Depletion
Life Cycle Impact Assessment
At Tikkurila, we believe in being accurate, honest and transparent in the field of sustainability. As a manufacturer, we need to look at all aspects of our global business from raw material extraction to final disposal in order to make a positive change and become a truly sustainable environmentally neutral company.
As we see it, a completely full and comprehensive “through life” approach needs to be taken in order to remain relevant as a manufacturer and an industry over the coming decades and more importantly we need to communicate our actions in a verifiable, accurate and non-misleading manner.
Sustainable Manufacturing
This is the combination of Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle impact assessment. Key areas Tikkurila are investing in are as follows:
- Raw material recovery
- Bio-based components
- Singularity of packaging
- Renewable energy in manufacture
- Removal of all hydrocarbons
- Local purchase of materials
When thinking about paints, sustainability encompasses how we make our products, how we ship them and how we recycle them. Only by completing the sustainability loop can a manufacturer claim to be truly sustainable, the speed at which we can close the loop relies solely on working effectively with all major partners to solve the very real issues that are now present in our global community.
Recycling
Paint recycling is an area where much misinformation is circulated. What follows is an overview of what Tikkurila do in the area of recycling:
- Plastic cans. All of our plastic cans are made from one single type of plastic. Cat 5 PP or Polypropylene. This is a simple way of making it easy for customers to recycle their cans. The steel lid can be recycled in normal metal recycling.
- Waste paint recycling. This is an incredibly opaque and misrepresented area of our industry. Essentially the easiest way to avoid the issues surrounding the disposal of waste paint is to not over order and use what you have on the surface however this is a very simplistic and not necessarily practical approach. Tikkurila are working on numerous research projects currently to hopefully find a true solution for waste paint that does not involve landfill or burning, however, this is a massive problem that requires a complete circular strategy to solve.
In our own facilities we like many other companies, recycle all of our business waste and collect all of our waste paint washings. This dilute is then processed into the water and waste paint solid. The wastewater is returned clean to the environment, the solid is currently collected and dried prior to safe disposal in energy reclamation.