Page 40 - Respond 2016 Magazine

innovation

smart

façades for

a sustainable

future www.akzonobel.com

At AkzoNobel, we believe that innovation can enable cities to
“do more with less” and turn the urbanisation challenge into
an opportunity to create more “Human Cities” for people and
society in general.

Today, nearly four billion people live in cities. This number is expected to increase by 2.5
billion by 2050, with over 90 percent of this growth being in Asia and Africa. Cities will need to
accommodate spiralling urbanisation, service the needs of citizens and stimulate commerce Azko Nobel is a leading
and investment to create jobs, all within the constraints imposed by climate change and the global paints and
need to meet greenhouse gas emission targets. coatings company and
a major producer of
As one of the world’s leading paint companies – with globally recognised brands such as
Sikkens, Dulux, International and Interpon – AkzoNobel has established its global Research, specialty chemicals. We’re
Development and Innovation (RD&I) centre for exterior wall paints in Singapore. This garden in your mobile devices,
city, in the centre of South East Asia, is a stimulating hub for innovation. The high growth the cars and roads that
economy of the region increases the need for innovation and AkzoNobel launches essential move you around and are
new products every year in the exterior wall paint category.
an essential part of the
products that keep you
Our research programs are mainly focused on sustainability, energy efficient solutions, long-
term durability and protection, and aesthetics for exterior walls. Guided by our Planet Possible healthy.
approach to “doing more with less”, and underlined by our #1 ranking on the Dow Jones Headquartered in
Sustainability Index, AkzoNobel is constantly striving to develop better and more sustainable
products and technologies in order to make people’s lives more liveable and inspiring. Amsterdam, the
Netherlands, we have
Environmental footprint approximately 45,000
Reducing the environmental footprint of our coatings is a clear focus of our research people in around 80
programs. We are striving to increase the use of renewable materials and optimise our use countries, while our
of lower carbon footprint raw materials. Another, and perhaps less obvious, way to reduce
footprint is through increasing the durability of exterior wall paints. portfolio includes well-
known brands such
Enabling longer maintenance and repainting cycles helps to reduce building maintenance as Dulux, Sikkens,
costs and environmental impact. This is achieved by lowering the use of resources for the International, Interpon
paint itself (which will last longer), as well as reducing water use due to less need for cleaning.
and Eka.
Both climate and human activities alter the appearance of building façades through UV- www.akzonobel.com
driven colour fading, erosion, cracking, flaking, dirt and dust pick-up, fungal and algal growth.
In tropical urban environments in particular, most exterior wall paints currently last around

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