Revista Paint & Pintura - Edição 236

CLIPPING 6 | PAINT&PINTURA | Setembro 2018 SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION UNDERSCORED IN THE INDUSTRY The September issue of Paint & Pintura Magazine is brin- ging you good news in the realmof sustainability through our coverage of the 17th Responsible Care Congress held by the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association (known for short in Portuguese as Abiquim), which took place on August 15 and 16 at Novotel Center Norte, in the state capital of São Paulo. Themed “The Chemistry of the Future: A Universe of Possibilities and Challenges,” the congress featured discussions relating to health, safety, environment and sustainability. Chief among the topics covered were the regulatory framework for safe management of chemical substances, emissions control and contributions from chemistry to air quality, and the interaction of chemical producers with communities and society, as well as di- versity and safe storage of chemicals. On the pages ahead, you, readers, will be able to learn more about the measures and actions being taken by the chemical industry in pursuit of sustainability. Indeed, the several efforts being undertaken by the industry are a testament to how conscientious it is towards its responsibility for the environment and for the safety of workers across the board, as well as the community, taken as a whole. The month of August also saw the 37th Paint & Pintura Coatings Technology and Management Forum, Midwest Region, which took place on the 16th at Hotel Mercure Goiânia, Goiás (Brazil), and brought along the latest of innovations in technology and management frommajor companies of the sector, such as Arkema-Coatex, Brenn- tag, Elementis Specialties, IMCD, MCassab, quantiQ, the MAST Group, and Wana Química. That made for a highly successful event, with a turnout of 114 registered attendees who work in the paint and coatings industry. Slated to take place this September is the 38th Paint & Pintura Coatings Technology andManagement Forum, Sough Region. It will be held on the 11th at the Criciúma Business Association (ACIC, the initials in Portuguese), with the support and par- ticipation of the Southern Santa Catarina Chemical Industry Union (known for short in Portuguese as Sinquisul). The forum is sponsored by major industry players, such as Croda, Elementis, the MAST Group, IMCD, Mineração Serra Branca, Quimisa, Rentank, Rudnik, and Solvay. Find in this issue the full schedule of lectures. Events like these really boost our industrywhile providingmore and more exciting news, especially as regards sustainability, the environment, and innovations. The one thing still worrying people and actually getting in the way of the industry expe- riencing its expected growth is Brazil’s economy, which keeps causing manufacturers to grow more cautious. The latest information coming from the country’s central bank pointed to divergence between the projections previously made by financial market analysts concerning the performance of the Brazilian economy for this year and those for 2019. Accordingly, GDP (gross domestic product) growth forecast for 2018 has declined to 1.47 percent, while for 2019, the expected GDP growth rate has remained at 2.50 percent. The expectation for growth in the manufacturing sector for 2018 has gone down to 2.61 percent, but has also remained at 3 percent for 2019. We still have four months ahead of us, though. Let’s wait and hope for good news to come for both our industry and our country. DEFOAMERS - A SUSTAINABLE TREND WITH IMPROVED PERFORMANCE The defoamer market has seen a growing development of alternative products that combine user and environ- mental friendlinesswith sustainability. Also seen currently is a search for defoamers that are so highly efficient as to deliver savings by lowering overall formulation costs. “Once we get to a better place in terms of our country’s macroeconomic situation, defoamers featuring enhan- ced performance and sustainability at the same time will become more appealing. The defoamer market shows growth potential, especially on the back of themigration from solvent-based towater-based technologies, where using these additives is indispensable for a quality coating. However, owing to the more delicate economic situation at this point in time, the growth we’ve experienced so far this year in the additive segment has not lived up to its potential. When the economy bounces back, that potential will undoubtedly get a boost,” saysMarlon Braidott, BASF’s technical consultant on additives for South America. In response to customers and consumers calling for sustainable products, innovation in this industry is focused on developing