Faced with the environmental challenges confronting the paint industry, paints are emerging as innovative solutions combining performance, durability, and environmental respect. With a growing demand for products compliant with carbon footprint reduction and circular economy objectives, paints offer a major competitive advantage.
But how to guarantee their quality and their compliance with environmental standards? Is the "Biobased Product" label a real strategic lever for industry professionals or a simple marketing asset?
In this article, we explore the challenges of biobased paints, the regulations to comply with, the analyses required to obtain the label, and their environmental impact. Discover how these solutions are transforming industrial practices, and how analysis laboratories help guide companies towards sustainable practices.
Understand the biobased paint and its label
The development of biobased paints is gradually becoming established in the industry. Their use, coupled with obtaining the "Biobased Product" label, indeed addresses environmental and regulatory issues of paramount importance for industry professionals.
Definition and stakes of biobased paints
The biobased paints are distinguished from classic paints by their composition derived from renewable raw materials, such as vegetable oils or agricultural residues. Unlike conventional paints, they limit the use of petroleum derivatives, thus offering a more environmentally friendly alternative.
For industrialists, they represent an opportunity to integrate ecological materials into their compositions while meeting growing consumer expectations. Their production is part of a bioeconomy strategy, reinforced by regulatory incentives such as the Energy Transition for Green Growth Law in France.
However, the biobased paints do not just meet environmental criteria: they also provide robust technical solutions. They are thus integrated into demanding specifications, particularly for the automotive, construction, and aeronautics sectors, where the performance and resistance of coatings are paramount.
For R&D services seeking innovation, understanding the specificities of these paints becomes a strategic lever allowing them to stand out.
The key role of the "Biosourced Product" label
The "Biobased Product" label certifies the percentage of biobased materials in paints, ensuring essential transparency for industry players.Obtaining the "Biobased Product" label relies on a precise regulatory framework that guarantees the compliance of industrial paints.
European and international standards, such as NF EN 16640, require manufacturers to demonstrate a minimum percentage of biobased material, as defined in their formulation. This percentage is calculated using advanced characterization methods, notably carbon-14 analysis, which allows for the differentiation of biobased compounds from fossil materials.
According to the label's public reference document, biobased paints must incorporate at least 20% renewable materials to obtain certification, a figure that can vary depending on product categories.
Industrial paint analyses concerning chemical composition are mainly carried out by industrial biobased specialized laboratories such as CIRAM. Characterization methods, a guarantee of reliability, reassure industrial partners and end customers, while facilitating the integration of these paints into projects respecting strict environmental standards.
This proactive approach helps avoid non-compliance, reduces regulatory risks and opens up opportunities in markets that value eco-responsible solutions, such as the automotive and construction industries.
Analysis and control of biobased industrial paints
The precise determination of the percentage of biobased matter is an essential step to obtain the label. Specialized industrial laboratories biobased, such as CIRAM, play a key role by carrying out detailed chemical analyses.
Two main routes are used:
- Radiocarbon dating, in accordance with standard EN 16640,
- The material balance approach (EN 16785-2).
Radiocarbon dating guarantees complete transparency on the biobased composition of the paintings. This test includes the quantification of components of plant or renewable origin.
Other controls ensure that paints meet expected performance in demanding environments. For industry professionals, collaborating with experts in radiocarbon analysis of industrial paints guarantees total transparency and optimization of formulations. This not only secures the certification process but also strengthens competitiveness in a market where green innovation has become an essential differentiating criterion.
Performance, durability, and environmental impact of paints
Beyond their composition, biobased paints must prove their performance and positive environmental impact to establish themselves as credible alternatives to synthetic paints for industrial users.
Performance and durability tests of biobased industrial paints
The biobased paints must not only be environmentally friendly but also meet the high standards of industrial applications. These include rigorous tests to evaluate their mechanical resistance, their durability under extreme conditions (heat, humidity, friction), and their adhesion on various substrates.
Current tests no longer focus solely on mechanical or chemical resistance, but now include criteria related to the interaction of paints with the materials on which they are applied. For example, biobased formulations improve adhesion on complex surfaces such as composites or light alloys, commonly used in aeronautics and automotive industries.
In parallel, the performance tests now include industrial paint analyses concerning long-term stability under extreme conditions, as well as paint compatibility with multilayer biobased systems.
These new approaches ensure that paints incorporating biobased products do not compromise the durability or the requirements of the most demanding industrial sectors. By collaborating with biobased paint analysis laboratories such as CIRAM, manufacturers can ensure that their products' composition meets these new standards while offering innovative and sustainable solutions.
Environmental impact of industrial paints and biobased coatings
The environmental impact of biobased paintsis mainly considered through their reduced carbon footprint and their overall life cycle. By incorporating renewable raw materials and minimizing VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions, paints incorporating biobased products help reduce negative impacts on air quality and climate.
According to the "Biobased Product" label, some products display up to 60% biomass of French origin, strengthening their local footprint and their contribution to the circular economy. For manufacturers, this is a strong argument in a sustainable development strategy, limiting volatile organic compounds for controlled markets such as aviation, construction, or automotive.
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of paints finally makes it possible to evaluate their overall impact, from the production of raw materials to their end of life. This approach guarantees that paints meet environmental criteria at each stage of their use. The increase in the share of paints produced from biobased products not only allows manufacturers to reduce their carbon footprint but also to achieve their internal and external CSR objectives.
The biobased paints represent a major breakthrough for industry professionals seeking new processes. Their integration relies on a thorough understanding of standards, precise composition analysis, and rigorous testing to ensure their durability and low environmental impact.
The "Biobased Product" label then plays a central role, certifying the transparency and quality of products, thus offering a competitive advantage in demanding markets. In this context, laboratories such as CIRAM, specializing in biobased paint analysis, are essential partners in supporting manufacturers in their certification, innovation, and product formulation optimization efforts.
CIRAM offers you its expertise in chemical analysis and biobased product characterization, including in the field of paints and pigments. Guarantee the quality and conformity of your products:Request a study from our teams.
