Are water-borne wood coating systems really more sustainable than solvent-borne systems?

 
Life cycle assessment (LCA) has become an important tool for quantifying the environmental impacts of products and industrial processes. The key benefit is to get the full picture of the impact, in order to find the best levers for improvement. In this paper, we will analyze the difference in the environmental impact, especially in global warming potential (GWP) also known as carbon footprint, between two wood coating technologies: 2K solvent-borne polyurethane and 2K water-borne polyurethane. The study - developed in collaboration between Covestro and Hesse - analyzes the environmental footprint from cradle-to-application gate, including emissions generated during the coating application. The study not only demonstrates the lower environmental impact of the water-borne system, but also identifies the main levers for each technology. The study will also showcase how novel solutions like Bayhydur® quix can further contribute to a significant reduction of the environmental footprint of a high performance wood coating.