Driving Sustainable Innovation
Challenges and Opportunities in the Coatings Industry
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A PCI interview with Stefan Brejc, Global Vice President Segment Coatings & Adhesives, Clariant
PCI Magazine recently had the opportunity to interview Clariant’s Stefan Brejc, global vice president of Segment Coatings & Adhesives, about the evolving challenges and innovations shaping the coatings industry. In this conversation, Brejc discusses the industry's ongoing shift toward sustainability, including the push for PFAS-free alternatives, the integration of low-carbon raw materials and the role of regulatory changes in driving innovation. He highlights how Clariant is proactively addressing these challenges through strategic product development and sustainability-driven innovation. Brejc’s insights offer a detailed look at the market forces, technological advancements and future opportunities that are redefining the coatings industry.

Stefan Brejc
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Sustainability has moved from being a buzzword to a fundamental license to operate in the chemical industry. We’re seeing increasing demands from customers and shareholders for sustainable products. At Clariant, we’ve integrated this into our core business, with strict guidelines for phasing out unsustainable products and an annual review of our product sustainability. Importantly, sustainability now guides our entire approach to innovation. It’s embedded in our innovation processes and decision-making, steering us toward developing more sustainable solutions.
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In coatings and adhesives, we’ve seen how regulations and sustainability requirements can actually drive remarkable innovation. Take melamine, for example. It's a substance of concern in certain coatings, but this challenge has driven us to develop melamine-free alternatives in passive fire protection.
Another great example is our recent innovation in waxes. Clariant has introduced waxes based on rice bran wax, which not only have a significantly lower carbon footprint — up to 80% lower than traditional waxes — but are also derived from renewable sources that don't compete with food production.
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This is an area where we've taken decisive action. In 2023, Clariant made the strategic decision to discontinue the sale of PTFE-containing waxes, as PTFE/PFAS are classified as persistent chemicals. Since then, we've focused our innovation efforts on developing alternative PTFE-free wax solutions, especially for applications in printing inks and powder coatings. This represents our commitment to finding sustainable alternatives without compromising performance.
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Looking at our recent developments, we’re seeing significant alignment, particularly in sustainability-driven innovation. Our development of additives to enable recycling, melamine-free formulations, PFAS-free alternatives and our breakthrough with low-carbon-footprint rice bran wax products directly address these key arenas of innovation. These developments aren’t just about meeting regulatory requirements — they’re about anticipating future market needs and providing solutions that meet both environmental and performance requirements.
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This decision has had a catalytic effect across the industry — it’s prompted our customers to change their formulations, and we see other industry suppliers following suit. While there’s still work to be done, the market response and customer adoption rates have been extremely encouraging. It’s a clear demonstration of how sustainability leadership can drive industry-wide change.
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Similarly, our Terra products offer like-for-like drop-in solutions for hot melt adhesives and coatings while being derived from renewable resources with mass balance certification.
It’s important to us that we don’t ask our customers to compromise. They can make a more sustainable choice while maintaining the performance standards they need. This uncompromising approach to sustainability is at the heart of our innovation strategy.