In China, we upgraded our Guangzhou site to switch over completely to water-based products. Once fully operational, the decorative paints facility will increase water reuse by 70% and reduce wastewater by 50% – helping us to achieve our ambition of water reuse at all our most water intensive sites by 2030. It also means that all four of our decorative paints plants in China now exclusively produce water-based paints.

Over in Vietnam, a major plant expansion at our Amata Industrial Park facility has boosted capacity for marine and protective coatings and wood coatings. A wide range of sustainability features have been introduced, including solar power generation, rainwater harvesting and solvent recovery systems.

Meanwhile, a combined total of more than 3,250 solar panels have been installed at our sites in Barcelona, Spain, and Garcia, Mexico. In Barcelona, 1,600 roof panels are now generating 15% of the site’s overall energy consumption. The Garcia installation of 1,650 panels is producing 82% of its energy requirements – making the plant almost self-sufficient.

Elsewhere, a total of 7,818 solar panels were also installed at three industrial coatings sites in Malaysia and Thailand.

These installations are the latest in a series of solar projects around the globe designed to help us move to 100% renewable electricity and cut our carbon emissions in half by 2030.