A world first: Paint without environmental impact and VOC

The LOWEMI project is complete. It has achieved its expected goals and more!

Wallonia is positioned as a leader in the European market for wall paintings with a zero environmental impact. In fact, the company Dothée has just developed ECOMAT, the most efficient European wall painting «zero VOC» (Volatile Organic Compound).

The unexpected result of the project: VOCBOX, a new instrument for measuring VOC emissions. An innovation at the global level!

Indoor air quality, a public health issue

Indoor air pollution has become a priority issue on the agendas of national and international authorities since the early 2000s.

This relatively recent interest in this problem is the result of several studies which have shown that the air we breathe is much more polluted inside than outside.

However, we live on average 90% of the time in closed spaces (offices, workshops, housing, schools, sports and leisure spaces...) and breathe 15 m³ of air per day.

In this context, respiratory pathologies and allergies related to indoor air quality have become increasingly common.

The problem has worsened since the arrival on the market of buildings less permeable to the air (thermal insulation) and with a reduced rate of air renewal. New building materials, decorative elements and furniture are also sources of pollution, including chemical pollution with consequences for human health such as drowsiness, headaches and respiratory allergies.

The Vice-President of the Government, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Research, Jean-Claude Marcourt, explains: «Labellised by the Walloon Government, the project «LOWEMI», carried by the company Dothée, leads to a new product: a mural painting “zero environmental impact” that promotes better indoor air quality.” The Minister added, “this collaboration between two Walloon companies and two research centres, as part of a GreenWin-led competitiveness clusters project, holds significant economic and societal potential.”

An Innovation Strategy

Since 1946, the family firm Dothée, now located in Assesse, in the heart of Wallonia, has been renowned for the excellent quality of its products and professional paintings.

In 2000, the company Dothée was bought by Philippe Rondou, Doctor of Chemistry, from Diest, in Flemish Brabant. Having worked for several years for the Flemish company (taken over by an American group), Mathys, Philippe has already acquired an expertise in paintings.

Philippe Rondou is particularly sensitive to the environmental impact of his technologies. It also devotes 5% of its turnover to research and development of new ecological products. It should be noted that 90% of them are water-based (certified by ISO 9001), niche markets that allow it to diversify its product offering. An effective innovation strategy since it exports to about twenty countries in Europe and outside Europe.

In 2008-2009, Dothée launched a VOC-free interior mural. In 2011, he decided to withdraw it from the market because it, like its competitors, has poor final characteristics: poor adhesion to the support, poor resistance to friction and water…

It was then that the opportunity presented itself, in 2012, to set up, with the GreenWin competitiveness cluster, the LOWEMI project, labellised by the Walloon Government under the Marshall Plan.

Today, it is a great success since Philippe Rondou has just developed a matt interior wall painting «COV zéro» (Volatile Organic Compound).

The LOWEMI project is successful: ECOMAT, the most efficient European «zero VOC» paint.

In partnership with the CoRI (Coatings Research Institute) and with the contribution of the CSTC (Centre Scientifique et Technique de la Construction), the company Dothée has thus managed to meet the technological challenge of offering a solvent-free matt interior mural, without toxic emissions and therefore without negative impact on the environment.

All with the same performance as «classic» paints in terms of ease of application and drying time.

The difficulty of this type of product (VOC-free matt) is to develop a formulation with good performance, mainly in terms of easy application, drying time, open time and film formation. In common aqueous products, VOCs are added to improve all these performances (VOCs will, among other things, prolong the drying of the film and thus improve the final look of the paint).

The absence of odor is also an asset for applicators and allows to occupy the painted spaces more quickly than with classic paints whose smell can last for several weeks.

In Europe, the few VOC-free paint manufacturers are unable to compete with the qualities and performance of ECOMAT, this is explained by the fact that it is much easier to develop a VOC-free product that is satin or glossy (the main competitors are in the United States).

The launch of the interior mural is scheduled for March 2017.

Initially, the company wants to market its product in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the Scandinavian countries by targeting schools, hospitals, crèches, public buildings, young couples with young children…

In fact, the Nordic countries are more sensitive to ecological aspects, so it is consistent to place emphasis and priority on these countries.

In terms of employment, Dothée plans to hire 10 people over the next 10 years. These prospects are assessed on the basis of a “normal” commercial development of ECOMAT.

However, by clearly responding to a request, it is quite possible that ECOMAT will see its commercial development accelerate, in which case, the hiring prospects will be revised upwards. That is obviously the objective that Dothée has set for himself.

The first profile hired in April 2017: an “Export Manager” whose mission will be to promote ECOMAT.