www.paintshow.com.br
16
Jan/Fev 2011
PAINT & PINTURA
is focused on testing raw materials, controlling
production processes, and finally approving ma-
nufactured products. To support the underlying
analysis, we have a set of high-precision equip-
ment enables our research team to develop any
kind of chemical for various applications. The
other laboratory is focused on product performan-
ce-testing simulations, accurately reproducing our
customers’ manufacturing process conditions, as
well as technical assistance services to support
our customers with any difficulties they may find.
It is also used to develop new products according
to customer-specific requirements.
The company also has two logistics centers, one
located in Vargem Grande Paulista, and one in
Mauá, SP.
Abrafati and Sabesp announce partnership
with sanitary and environmental education
campaign
January 20 saw Abrafati (short for Brazilian
Association of Paint Manufacturers) and Sa-
besp (São Paulo state’s sanitation agency) sign a
cooperation agreement to promote sanitary and
environmental education campaigns and provi-
de guidance to paint users. The idea is to teach
professional painters and users of water-based
decorative paints how to dispose of the water used
for washing painting tools. The campaigns are
also aimed at directing manufacturers to dispose
of their waste into the sewer systems which lead
to Sabesp’s Sewage Treatment Plants, rather than
storm water drainage systems.
Contract painters and users of water-based paints
will usually wash their paint brushes, rollers and
trays using buckets and cans or hoses, releasing
the water dirty with paint into the sewers. As
result, that water reaches rivers, lakes and reser-
voirs. Since water-soluble latex paints (based on
acrylic and vinyl resins) are compatible with the
sewage treatment in small volumes, the environ-
mentally correct procedure is to dispose of the
water used in the washing process into drains that
run to the sewage collection system, thereby pre-
venting the contamination of water courses.
Sabesp’s president Gesner Oliveira and Dilson Fer-
reira, chief executive officer at Abrafati, signed the
document for the parties involved, in the presence
of important leaderships and technical experts
from the paint industry and the sanitation sector.
International Year of Chemistry
January 27, 2011 saw the world launch, in Paris,
France, at the headquarters of the United Nations’
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO), of the International Year of Chemistry
2011 (IYC 2011). The function brought together
more than 300 guests, including officials, scien-
tists, businessmen of the chemical industry, acade-
mics and representatives of international entities.
According to John Malin, Chairperson of the In-
ternational Year of Chemistry Global Management
Committee, Brazil will play a key role in the Inter-
national Year of Chemistry because it “has a very
active and engaged chemical community.”
Attending authorities stressed that the Interna-
tional Year of Chemistry 2011 will strengthen
partnerships between the business and education
sectors in order to tackle challenges related to
global mega-trends in areas that affect everybo-
dy, such as nutrition and healthcare, urbaniza-
tion, mobility and communication, energy and
climate protection.
Professor Jean-Marie Lehn, who won the Nobel
Prize for chemistry in 1987, said: “The essence of
chemistry is not just to discover but to create novel
expressions of complex matters. The book of che-
mistry is not just to be read, it is to be written.”
In Brazil, with the slogan “Química para um Mun-
do Melhor,” or “Chemistry for a Better World,”,
entities, universities and companies involved in
the industry have engaged in initiatives to be im-
plemented in the course of the year. The program
includes several educational and scientific activi-
ties aimed at stressing the importance of chemis-
try to society. In addition to Brazil, more than 60
countries will observe the International Year of
Chemistry, including other South American na-
tions like Argentina, Bolivia, Uruguay, Paraguay,
Chile and Peru.