We are committed to taking a leadership role in the reduction of VOCs within the coatings and paints industry and plans have been put in place to ensure that a 25 percent reduction in the volume weighted average VOC content of Decorative Paints and Performance Coatings products is achieved by 2015. This will also reduce the greenhouse gas footprint of the use phase of our products.
A cross-business group, including RD&I, marketing and product stewardship, has created a comprehensive model of VOC use across the Decorative Paints and Performance Coatings Business Areas. This has provided a thorough analysis of the 2009 VOC baseline and a robust forecast of the position in 2015, with an annual evaluation process in place to measure our performance.
During 2011, we evaluated the 2010 data. It shows that within Decorative Paints, we have realized an 11 percent reduction in average VOC content per ton of product compared with the baseline position. This has been accompanied by a 2 percent absolute decrease in VOC usage within Decorative Paints.
