SUSTAINABLE PAINTS

Painting is a key factor in temporary installations Osservatorio Allestimenti explored the topic and asked Colorificio MP, a Rimini-based company that has been operating worldwide in the paint and building renovation market since 1969, from Europe to China and Australia, with products and services for professionals, retailers and operators, in particular for construction, design and furnishing what’s new on the sustainable building painting scene.

A core value of MP has been sustainability for a long time, well before it was a buzzword in Europe, because the company believes that it is an important and valuable means for continued growth in terms of health and business. The two must not be in opposition. MP is oriented towards a circular economy for using industrial waste, together with a continuous focus on internal company consumption. MP has been a member of CLUST-ER BUILD Emilia Romagna since 2020, and of the renowned Green Building Council Italia since 2013. The latter is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that is part of a global network recognised in 70 countries around the world to promote and certify the sustainable renovation of historic buildings through several LEED and Historic Build protocols.

MP has been ISO-9001-certified since 2000 and carried out an LCA, Life Cycle Assessment, study in 2019 to guide its choices in sustainability. In 2020 in collaboration with Rimini Technopole and the University of Bologna, the company developed two innovative photocatalytic paints capable of neutralising pollutants, viruses and bacteria on surfaces and purifying the surrounding air, tested and certified by the Virology Research Services in London. In the same year, it received an award from Green Building Council Italia in Leadership in Enterprise and Sustainability for its strong orientation towards sustainable building.

“What are the trends and challenges in the temporary paint industry?”, we asked Fabrizio Moretti, Manager and Legal Representative of Colorificio MP.

“Paints for temporary installations differ from those for the building industry in that they must facilitate the typical operations of the sector with very high coverage, easy application on smallish surfaces and fast drying times. To all this, Colorificio MP has added some features that make the paints healthy products because they are zero-emission, i.e. completely free of aldehydes and solvents. This makes them healthy products both for those who lay the product down during set-ups and for those who use exhibition stands as exhibitors and visitors”.

Future challenges will be to recycle the plastic drums themselves used for paints that presents some questions to be resolved, but that is another story that we will explore in more detail in Osservatorio Allestimenti.