Coatings protect our world and the environment
Coatings protect man-made objects from corrosion. Without them, our buildings, infrastructure and equipment would rust and fall apart – and everything would soon need to be replaced, at a massive cost to the environment and the Earth’s resources.
But coatings protect the environment in other ways, too. Without special hydrodynamic hull coatings, for example, ships would need more fuel to move through the water and the shipping industry would pump an extra 70 million tons of C02 into the atmosphere each year.
Coatings save the economy billions of dollars each year
According to NACE International’s Impact Study, corrosion costs the world’s economy USD 2.5 trillion each year. That’s equivalent to roughly 3.4 per cent of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The study also found that implementing corrosion prevention best practices – including the better use of coatings – would result in global savings of 375 to 875 billion US dollars.
Coatings improve our mood
Colourful coatings make our world more beautiful. They affect our moods, too. Special colour schemes in schools, for example, help improve student concentration, while carefully chosen colours in hospitals help keep people feeling positive.
Coatings protect people’s lives
By keeping structures and equipment in good condition, coatings help keep our infrastructure, buildings and equipment safe to use – and so probably prevent numerous accidents each year. But there is a lot more going on below the surface.
Many modern buildings use passive fire protection coatings, for example. Why? Because these coatings insulate the structural steel from extreme heat. As a result, buildings can stay standing for up to two hours longer during a fire, giving valuable extra time for evacuation and emergency response.
