Environment
Life cycle approach
Tikkurila’s Corporate Responsibility program covers the entire product life cycle from sourcing raw materials and energy to supporting end-users.
Tikkurila’s aim is to develop, produce, market and deliver environmentally sustainable products by using as eco-efficient processes as possible. According to life cycle reports, the biggest environmental effects caused by paints and coatings come from the energy used to produce raw materials, from packaging materials and the solvents released during the application.
The main task of paint is to protect and decorate. A painted surface can also be expected to have other properties like being hygienic, easy to clean, watertight or water-vapor permeable, to have fire-retardant properties, water or chemical resistance or electric conductivity. The raw materials used in paints and coatings vary depending on the use of the end product, and their effects on the environment and people’s health vary considerably.
Efficiency of own operations
Operations that utilize raw materials as carefully as possible and that minimize waste reduce environmental effects. Decentralizing production into seven different countries and close to local consumers, reduces the distance of transportation. Unlike the production of some raw materials used in paint production, the paint production does not require extensive energy. A majority of Tikkurila’s energy consumption is directed at heating.
The relative share of hazardous waste was reduced, as targeted by Tikkurila, but the relative share of other waste increased slightly. The direct environmental costs of production increased and amounted to 1.0 cents/product liter (2009: 0.89). The rise was caused by a general increase in cost levels and more detailed reporting.
Growing water trend
The share of water-borne products continued to grow in 2010 and represented 70.3 percent of production (68.9). The increase in the share of water-borne products also helped decrease the relative share of solvent emissions from production (VOC) to 0.40 grams per product liter (0.49).
Water-borne products are safer to produce, store, transport and use, because they do not involve a similar inflammability and explosion risk as solvent-borne paints do. They also do not emit solvents into the air. The increase of water-borne products is also supported by their ease of use, increased environmental awareness and tighter legislation. The increase in popularity of water-borne products steers Tikkurila’s research and development, and it has a cascade effect on the entire supply chain.
The beauty of tinting
Tikkurila’s
operating model is mainly based on paints being tinted at the retail
outlet. The use of tinting technology requires that the paint is of
uniform quality. Tinting reduces storing and transportation needs in all
parts of the supply chain, increases the color selection, enables a
wider product portfolio and reduces the amount of paint waste.
A successful outcome
Paints can be used to increase the service life of objects, structures and buildings. On the other hand, the life cycle of the paint is related to the life cycle of the surface to be painted. The paint user is also key, because selecting the right product and using it responsibly reduces the environmental load caused by the paint and the object to be painted.
In order to ensure a successful painting job, Tikkurila publishes an extensive selection of instructions and guides for end-users, in addition to labels, product cards and operational safety bulletins. The marketing material is, in addition to providing inspiration, also intended to make paint and color choices and usage easier. Customer training is important when guiding users towards environmentally sustainable choices and usage methods.
Environmental legislation
Tikkurila’s business operations mainly fall within the chemical industry, whose products and actions are regulated by numerous international agreements, as well as by local and national legislation. Tikkurila discusses its environmental responsibilities and risks in its financial statements. Also Tikkurila’s Code of Conduct includes items concerning the environment, health and safety, where the minimum requirement is to comply with statutory demands. The main legislative projects are related to the risks of product use and instructions (REACH), packaging labels and the amount of solvents that emit into the air from paints and coatings.Environmental information
|
|
2010 |
2009 |
2008 |
|
Direct energy consumption*, kWh/product liter |
0.08 |
0.07 |
0.06 |
|
Indirect energy consumption*, kWh/product liter |
0.29 |
0.30 |
0.29 |
|
Solvent emissions in production (VOC) into the air, g/product liter |
0.40 |
0.49 |
0.38 |
|
Amount of hazardous waste, g/product liter (supply chain) |
8.3 |
8.6 |
9.6 |
|
Amount of other waste, g/product liter (supply chain) |
28.9 |
27.8 |
23.0 |
|
Share of water-borne products in production, % |
70.3 |
68.9 |
66.8 |
|
Investments in environmental protection, EUR million |
0.2 |
0.2 |
0.2 |
|
Operating cost of environmental protection, EUR million |
2.1 |
1.7 |
2.3 |
|
Direct environmental costs in production, cent/product liter |
1.0 |
0.89 |
1.0 |
* fuel consumption at production sites** electricity, district heating, purchased steam
