Discover Genamin Gluco 50
How should we paint our future?

You have over 25 years of experience testing and evaluating paints & coatings. How have market requirements evolved?
Consumers are concerned more about sustainable living but also in how they select paint. In particular, interior wall paint. Those who are asthmatic or suffer from an allergy even demand a full list of ingredients. At the same time the demand for easier-to-use, convenient paints is rising and the industry is reacting. The challenge is to find solutions that combine performance and sustainability.

»Because of changing regulations and safety data sheets for existing additives, paint manufacturers have to constantly rethink paint compositions.«

What role do additives have in environmentally-friendly paints?
Consumer paint is composed of several ingredients. It is necessary to check every single one regarding its ecological impact and possible influence on personal health. This is true even for additives used in very small amounts, like neutralizing and wetting agents. Ideally, such an additive should not have any hazardous labeling or any volatile substances, while at the same time enhancing paint performance.

Do today's most commonly used neutralizers on the market also meet the consumer standards of tomorrow?
From my point of view, each existing solution has some drawbacks. Caustic potash and caustic soda are corrosive and require a hazard warning. Aminomethyl propanol (AMP) and dimethly aminoethanol (DMEA) are regarded as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) because of their low boiling point. There are a few solvent-free amines on the market, but they do not perform like the most widely used product, AMP. And, of course, they are not based on renewable resources. Because of changing regulations and safety data sheets for existing additives, paint manufacturers have to always be rethinking paint compositions.

What is a VOC and why is it a problem?
A volatile organic compound is a chemical which is volatile, like water or a fragrance. Some additives, for example defoamers or their constituents, are volatile. Very often VOCs are harmful or have at least questionable effects on personal health or the environment. The absence of solvents and VOCs is crucial for an ecolabel. Lastly, semi-volatile compounds (SVOCs), which evaporate over a significantly longer period of time, are in discussion. They could be even more dangerous than VOCs because of their long lasting presence in the ambient indoor air. A lot of paint manufacturers already have a solution for low-emission wall paints. But sometimes waterborne interior varnishes are not yet in compliance with the ecolabel regulations, such as the testing method ISO 16000-9 defined by the German AgBB¹, a taskforce of the German public health authorities on the VOC emissions from construction products.

¹ Abbreviation of a German committee (Ausschuss zur gesundheitlichen Bewertung von Bauprodukten).

Paint quality should last even after 2 years of being on the shelf. To ensure this, not only do sedimentation and syneresis need to be inhibited, but pH-value and viscosity must also be stabilized. How does Genamin® Gluco 50 measure up?