KCC Joins Voluntary Agreement for Transition to Water-Based Automotive Repair Coatings

Representatives of each company attending the 'Voluntary Agreement Ceremony for the Waterborne Conversion of Automotive Repair Coatings (Topcoat-Basecoat)' are posing for a commemorative photo. The third person from the right is Baek Chang-gi, Executive Director of KCC.
[Photo by KCC]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] On the 5th, KCC participated in the "Voluntary Agreement for the Transition to Waterborne Automotive Repair Coatings (Topcoat-Basecoat)" hosted by the Ministry of Environment.

The Voluntary Agreement for the Transition to Waterborne Automotive Repair Coatings (Topcoat-Basecoat) is an agreement jointly promoted by the government, companies, and associations to strengthen corporate social responsibility related to automotive repair coatings and to enhance the protection of public safety and health. Participants in the agreement included the Ministry of Environment, KCC, domestic and international coating makers, and the Korea Paint and Ink Industrial Cooperative Association.

Through this agreement ceremony, the domestic automotive repair coatings (topcoat-basecoat) market is expected to be reorganized from solvent-based coatings to waterborne coatings. Since waterborne coatings are primarily water-based, they emit fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air compared to traditional solvent-based coatings, thereby meeting the standards of the Atmospheric Environment Conservation Act.

KCC has been applying technologies that meet market demands for eco-friendliness to its products. Since the 1990s, when solvent-based coatings dominated, KCC has continuously developed waterborne coatings, securing world-class waterborne coating technology, and has led the eco-friendly coating market through low-VOC design, low-temperature curing coatings, and high solid content formulations.

In particular, KCC’s unique waterborne automotive repair coating on-site color matching system, "Sumix," is an eco-friendly product that meets all domestic environmental regulations, including the recently strengthened government environmental standards. It allows repairs on both water- and solvent-based coatings, can measure and mix various automotive colors for painting, and achieves excellent color matching and a smooth finish. Additionally, it is easy to apply on-site with a work method similar to existing solvent-based coatings.

A KCC official stated, "Through this agreement ceremony, we will faithfully carry out the voluntary agreement items to contribute to public health and environmental protection," adding, "Furthermore, we will continue to promote the company's eco-friendly ESG activities to fulfill our social responsibilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.