PPG – the green future of construction

Could you tell us what green construction is and why it is so important for the future of our planet?

Dawid Góral: Green construction, also called sustainable construction, is an approach to the design, construction and operation of buildings that minimizes the impact on the environment and human health. This involves using energy, water and other resources efficiently, creating a healthier environment for people in buildings and reducing waste, pollution and degradation of nature.

The importance of green construction is due to several reasons. First, buildings are one of the world’s main energy consumers, which contributes to global warming. By applying green building principles, we can significantly reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Secondly, green buildings often provide better indoor air quality, which has a positive impact on the health and well-being of the people staying in them. Third, green construction promotes the use of materials and technologies that are environmentally friendly and can be renewable or recycled.

At PPG, we understand that sustainable construction is not just a trend, but a necessity if we want to ensure a healthy and safe planet for future generations.

Therefore, we make sure that our products meet the highest criteria taken into account when obtaining the most important certificates in the world confirming a sustainable approach to construction. The two most famous are LEED and BREEAM.

Can you explain to us what LEED and BREEAM certifications are and how a paint company like PPG can contribute to achieving them?

Dawid Góral: LEED and BREEAM certificates are recognized around the world as standards for sustainable construction. Both of these systems evaluate buildings for their environmental impact in various categories such as energy efficiency, water use, indoor air quality, materials used, and more. Paint manufacturers play a very important role in the process of obtaining these certificates. At PPG, we produce low-emission paints that release much less volatile organic compounds compared to traditional paints, which translates into the quality of indoor air – one of the key aspects assessed in both the LEED and BREEAM systems.

It is worth mentioning that over 300 of our products have the very demanding Finnish M1 certificate, which is recognized by both of the above rating systems. A list of some of these products, those available in Poland, can be found on our website tikkurila.pl, in the Professionals tab, under the slogan “M1 Products”.

These include, for example: recommended for hospital rooms Tikkurila Argentum Plus 7 containing phosphate glass containing silver, which protects the painted surface against the development of viruses and bacteria, Tikkurila Anti-Reflexwhich, thanks to the unique composition of titanium compounds and functional fillers, eliminates light reflections causing the impression of unevenness of the surface, intended for painting ceilings inside residential, office and public spaces, including educational and health care facilities, i.e. schools, kindergartens, nurseries, hospitals , clinics, offices, operating rooms, treatment rooms, laboratories, dialysis centers, etc., and in service and production plants, or our sales hit Tikkurila Optiva 5 – the latest generation, matte, water-soluble, stain-resistant, latex acrylic-composite paint for coloring, developed using modern encapsulation technology that increases the barrier properties of the painted surface.

What are the main benefits of using Tikkurila paints in green construction?

Dawid Góral: PPG’s Tikkurila brand paints have been designed to not only look good on the painted surface, be easy to apply and durable, but also, as I have already noted, to be friendly to the environment and human health. The benefits of using our paints in green construction can be divided into three main areas. The first are undoubted benefits for business. According to the World Green Building Trends 2024 report, companies are increasingly recognizing the value of investing in sustainable buildings. Tikkurila paints help companies achieve their sustainable construction goals, not only by meeting environmental standards, but also by providing high-quality products that contribute to the longevity of buildings. Moreover, taking into account the growing awareness and, therefore, customer requirements, and legal regulations regarding sustainable construction, the use of our paints can help construction companies gain a competitive advantage in the market. The second area is extremely important benefits for people.

Our paints are designed to improve the air quality inside buildings, which has a direct impact on the health and well-being of people staying in these rooms. Research shows that using low-emission paints can help reduce allergy and asthma symptoms, as well as improve overall sleep quality and concentration. The third area is the one mentioned earlier direct benefits for the environment.

An interesting example here is the intelligent roof painting system Tikkurila ClimateCooler Flex Topcoat, which reflects up to 80% of solar radiation, which contributes to reducing the temperature of the roof, which in turn translates into extending its durability, as well as saving energy by reducing the need to use cooling devices. and, as a result, reducing CO2 emissions.

Our production processes are optimized for energy efficiency, minimizing waste and water consumption, significantly reducing our impact on the environment. Similarly when it comes to our portfolio. 265 products from our offer have an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). These declarations provide our customers with reliable and transparent information about the product’s environmental footprint at every stage of its existence – from obtaining raw materials, through production and use, to disposal.

EPDs play a key role in our efforts to minimize our carbon footprint. Thanks to them, we can consciously choose low-emission raw materials and optimize production processes to make them as climate-friendly as possible.

Could we learn more about the production process of your paints? What steps are you taking to minimize its impact on the environment?

Dawid Góral: As I have already mentioned, in our plant we attach great importance to minimizing the impact on the environment. The implementation of the previously mentioned EPD declarations gave us valuable insight into which stages of the creation and use of our products generate the largest carbon footprint. We are talking about the entire process, from the extraction of raw materials and their transport to our factories, through production and distribution, to the use of our products by customers and finally, the end of their life, i.e. demolition and waste management. We use this data to make more informed business decisions, e.g. when selecting suppliers of raw materials, packaging or logistics services, as well as to optimize production processes in terms of minimizing their impact on the environment.

We have also implemented a number of solutions regarding the production process, but also the operation of the entire plant, which bring measurable results.

We replaced the lighting with energy-saving ones, which allows us to reduce annual electricity consumption by 100 MWh. We have carried out thermal modernization of buildings, which translates into savings of 45 MWh of thermal energy per year. We also installed 25 solar collectors for heating domestic hot water, which produce approximately 30 MWh of thermal energy per year.

We also took care to create a closed circuit for cooling production installations, which significantly reduces water consumption.

We modernize technological lines in terms of energy consumption and waste generated. We introduce the best production encapsulation standards to ensure the quality and repeatability of manufactured products. We use recycled packaging for our products. Through systematic training of our production team, we ensure the safety of our employees and awareness of environmental responsibility.

These are just examples of activities in this area, we are constantly looking for new solutions that will allow us to minimize our impact on the environment even more effectively.

Does PPG offer special training or support for construction companies that would like to start using your products in their green building projects?

Dawid Góral: Our training and educational materials are designed to show how our products can contribute to achieving sustainable construction goals. We would like construction companies and architects, but also individual investors, to best understand the importance and need to choose appropriate products to create sustainable buildings. It’s not just about the building being energy efficient or having a low environmental impact during construction. Equally important is how a building affects the health and well-being of the people who stay in it, and what long-term effects it has on our planet. That’s why we try to make our training as practical as possible. We show specific cases where our products have helped achieve sustainable construction goals and advise how they can be applied to different types of projects. In addition, our experts are always ready to answer any questions and help companies find the best solutions for their specific needs.

What is the future of green construction? What specific steps is PPG taking to meet green trends and what other innovations do you plan to introduce in the near future?

Dawid Góral: The future of green construction is promising, but it must also be emphasized that it is necessary for our planet.

According to the latest report of the Polish Green Building Association (PLGBC)¹in the period March 2023-March 2024 covered by the report, there was a significant increase in the number of certified buildings – by 24%, which shows that more and more construction companies and developers are committing to sustainable construction.

We are observing a significant increase in awareness among customers when it comes to the benefits of green construction, and not only in the ecological context, i.e. lower impact on the natural environment, which is of course crucial. But customers increasingly also notice the health aspect – buildings designed in the spirit of sustainable development promote the health and well-being of users, as well as measurable economic benefits. Daily operation of a green building generates lower costs. When introducing Tikkurila Climate Cooler paint to the market, we implemented a reference project in Copenhagen, which perfectly illustrates its potential. The hotel that decided to use our solution recorded a 10% decrease in electricity consumption per year, which translated into savings of 40-55 MWh. Moreover, by reducing energy consumption, the hotel reduced its CO2 emissions by an impressive 27 tons. At PPG, we are aware of these trends, we not only respond to them, but we try to anticipate them. That’s why we actively work on continuous improvement of our products and development of our offer.

Thank you for the interview.

Dawid Góral – at PPG he is an expert in sustainable development and certification related to green construction.

Bibliography:

Polish Green Building Association (PLGBC). (2024). Report: Sustainable certified buildings 2024 (March 2023-March 2024): https://plgbc.org.pl/dokumenty/zrownowazone-certyfikowane-budynki-2024