DSM unveils ambitious sustainability targets in coating resins

Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, announced at the European Coatings Show (ECS), in Nuremberg, Germany, a series of ambitious sustainability targets for its Coating Resins business that will help it to become even more environmentally friendly in the coming years.

To address specific industry demands and in line with its strategy Growth & Value, Purpose led, Performance driven strategy, DSM boldly declares its intention to become one the most environmentally friendly producers within the coating resins industry, and the most market-leading supplier of sustainable solutions.

“For too long, there has been a general feeling that you either do well in business or do good for the environment – that you have to choose between performing well financially and contributing to a better world. I’m proud that my organization doesn’t think this way,” said Helen Mets, President of DSM Resins & Functional Materials. “We strongly believe that doing good and doing well go hand-in-hand.”

The business is dedicated to improving both the environmental impact of its operations and the sustainability value of its portfolio. To achieve this, it has announced a series of ambitious sustainability-related targets, including:

We will become one of the most sustainable producers within our industry.

• In line with DSM’s sustainability roadmap we, by 2030, will reduce our GHG emissions by 30% in absolute numbers compared to 2016. As a means to achieve this, at least 75% of our purchased electricity will be renewable, and we will improve our overall energy efficiency annually by - 1% on average.
• By 2020, we will reduce all emissions-to-air from our operations by 40%.
• On top of this we will by 2022 have zero waste to landfill.

We will develop the most sustainable product portfolio within our industry.

• We will accelerate the phase-out all chemicals of high concern from our finished products. We already started this journey and it’s our ambition to have no sales of products containing chemicals of high concern by 2025.
• On average about 90% of the carbon footprint of every kg of products we sell is caused by the raw materials we use. Therefore, we have a target to reduce indirect value chain emissions by 28% per ton of product produced by 2030 (vs 2016).
• To accelerate this carbon-footprint reduction, DSM Resins and Functional Materials commits to ensuring by 2030 that at least 30% of the raw materials it sources are bio-based and/or recycled materials.

“We will achieve this,” Mets said, “by improving our own performance and by being the most ambitious, innovative and transparent resins producer and supplier. We will support our clients’ efforts to become market leaders in sustainable green solutions, through use of safer, low-CFP and renewable solutions from our product portfolio. And,” she noted, “we also will advocate a faster transition by the industry to a sustainable coatings ecosystem.”

In the coating resins segment, answering customer needs for sustainable solutions will continue to drive the business groups growth. “To be an effective catalyst for change in our industry,” Mets noted, “we must set targets that we will achieve, and be transparent in our progress. We are up to the challenge and prepared to step up as the market leader in this regard.”