Note: This is a machine-translated version of the original German text. The translation was generated with AI assistance. In case of any discrepancy, the German original shall prevail.

For more than 50 years, we have been developing coating systems that are better for people and the environment. Here we set out how we see the technological development of the next ten years and which concrete projects we are planning.

Three Pillars, One Goal

Our technological work over the next ten years focuses on three fields that are mutually dependent:

• High-performance products from better raw materials
• Waste nothing – close the loops
• Data that makes expertise visible

Pillar 1: Raw Materials & Chemistry

This pillar covers everything that goes into the bottle – where the ingredients come from, how they work, and how we develop them further. Five development lines are running in parallel.

CO₂ as a Raw Material Source – Carbon to Coatings

Since 2022, together with the Charité Berlin and the University of Ulm, we have been researching whether atmospheric CO₂ can be converted into base materials for coatings using bacteria – and whether these substances can subsequently be permanently bound in wood. This would not be incremental progress, but a fundamental paradigm shift in raw material chemistry. And more than that: if CO₂ remains permanently stored in wood, every treated timber surface becomes an active climate protection measure – a direct link between coating technology and CO₂ sequestration in timber construction.

• 2026–2028: Completion of basic research, first assessment of technical transferability to product formulations.
• 2028–2032: If results allow – development of first formulations based on biotechnologically produced raw materials.
• from 2032: Integration into the product portfolio where performance and availability justify it.

Raw Material Resilience: Preparing for a Changing Material Base

Climate change is altering not only the quality of wood, but also the availability and properties of the plant-based raw materials on which our formulations depend. Linseed oil, turpentine derivatives, natural resins – their quality and regional availability will shift over the coming decades. We are systematically building knowledge about which alternatives and substitutes exist, and developing formulations that are not dependent on individual critical raw materials.

• 2026–2028: Mapping of raw material risks across the entire portfolio. Which ingredients are substitutable, and which are not?
• 2028–2031: Development of formulation variants using alternative bio-based raw materials. Building supplier relationships across different climate zones.
• from 2031: Raw material resilience as a standard criterion in every new formulation.

Fast-Drying Industrial Coatings with an Ever-Higher Bio-Based Content

Industrial coating processes demand short cycle times, high reproducibility, and suitability for machine application methods. At the same time, the bio-based content of many commercially available systems remains far below what is chemically possible. We are developing coating systems that combine both: a proportion of renewable raw materials of well over 80% and drying times that meet the demands of industrial production lines – without compromising on durability or processability.

• 2026–2028: Laboratory development and initial field tests with industrial partners.
• 2028–2030: Optimisation of formulations, adaptation to different application methods.
• from 2030: Market launch for industrial use.

Exterior Coating Systems with Exceptional Durability

Exterior coatings face permanent stress: UV radiation, moisture, temperature fluctuations, biological growth. Many bio-based systems have so far shown weaknesses compared to synthetic alternatives. Climate adaptation will make this issue even more pressing: more intense weather events, more frequent moisture cycles, new pest patterns. Our goal is an exterior coating system based entirely on natural ingredients that achieves a durability that matches conventional systems. The foundation consists of modified vegetable oils, natural resins, and bio-based additives, whose combination we specifically optimise for weather resistance and protection duration.

• 2026–2027: Development and testing of different formulation approaches under real weathering conditions.
• 2027: Refinement of the most effective systems, approval procedures.
• from late 2027: Market launch, initially for selected application areas such as facades, decking, and garden timber.

Climate Change as a Market Driver: New Demands on Protection and Health

Climate change is not only altering the raw material base – it is also changing what coating systems need to deliver. Warmer, more humid interiors promote mould and biological growth. More intense rainfall and heat waves in alternation place greater demands on facades and exterior timber than ever before. New pest patterns are reaching regions where they previously did not occur.

These are not abstract future scenarios – this is today's market. We are already addressing these demands with concrete product solutions: our silicate wall paint with a pH value of 11.4 inhibits mould through purely physical, alkaline action – without biocides. The primer W200 protects wood through natural physical wood protection, not through toxic agents. Both are approaches that become more relevant as exposure pressure increases, not less.

The development work of the coming years aims to extend these principles to further product categories and optimise them for new climatic requirement profiles – always with the same premise: protection through physics and chemistry that works with nature, not against it.

• 2026–2028: Systematic analysis of changing climate requirements by region and application area. Which products already address the new demand – and where are gaps emerging?
• 2028–2031: Extension of the mould-inhibiting and biologically protective product range based on natural mechanisms. Development of formulations designed for more intensive weathering scenarios.
• from 2031: Climate adaptation as an explicit communication feature: products that protect not despite natural ingredients, but because of them.

Reinforcing the Strength and Wood Structure of Low-Grade Timber

More performance from weaker source material. Not every piece of timber has the structural quality required for demanding applications. Fast-grown wood, reclaimed timber, or wood species with lower density often have properties that limit their use – even though they would make ecological sense as renewable raw materials. Climate change is continuously reducing the density and therefore the quality of many native timber species. This is not a future problem – it is one that sawmills and processors are already encountering today. We are researching coating and impregnation systems that specifically stabilise and reinforce the cell structure of wood, without requiring resource-intensive alternatives. The goal is to make lower-quality timber usable for applications for which it is currently unsuitable.

• 2026–2028: Basic research into penetration depths, viscosities, and structural mechanisms of action.
• 2028–2029: Development of application-ready systems, validation for specific use categories such as structural applications or decking boards from low-grade timber.
• from 2030: Product development and market entry in cooperation with timber processors.

Pillar 2: Circular Economy & Packaging

Cradle to Cradle is not a certificate, but an approach: designing products so that their components can safely be returned to biological or technical cycles after use. This applies to ingredients as much as to packaging. The PNZ Oil has been certified to Cradle-to-Cradle standards since 2022. The waste-free wall paint came to market in 2023. Both are steps on a longer journey.

• 2026–2028: Systematic review of the entire portfolio for C2C suitability. Which ingredients and formulation approaches are compatible with biological and technical cycle principles – and where do we need to reformulate? In parallel: development of packaging solutions that combine reusability with industrial practicality.
• 2028–2032: Continuous further development of C2C-compatible solutions. Piloting of new packaging concepts in retail and with industrial customers.
• from 2032: C2C as the standard development principle: no new product reaches the market without its circularity having been considered from the outset. Packaging solutions that cover the entire product lifecycle – from first fill to return.

Pillar 3: Digital Supply Chain & Certification

We have little patience for credibility debates on sustainability. In 2021, together with the Fraunhofer IPA, we built the Eco-Hub – a platform for cross-sector environmental data collection. That was the beginning of what remains a long road.

• 2026–2028: Expansion of the Eco-Hub for comprehensive digital capture of all relevant environmental metrics along our supply chain – from raw material extraction to delivery. The goal is a seamless, auditable data foundation that accelerates certifications and eliminates greenwashing risks for us and our customers.
• 2028–2031: Linking of supply chain data with product data sheets, certification records, and the Digital Product Passport (DPP) in real time. Industrial customers should be able to demonstrate at the touch of a button what is in each product and where it comes from – for their own sustainability reports, tenders, and compliance requirements. Within this framework, we are also researching diagnostic coatings: systems that provide measurable information about their own condition – layer thickness, weathering level, maintenance needs. This closes the loop between the digital product passport and the real product status.
• from 2030: Opening of the platform to external partners: raw material suppliers, processors, and trade customers will be able to enter their own data and link it with others. A shared digital infrastructure for transparent supply chains in the coatings industry.

What We Don't Yet Know

Some developments on this roadmap depend on research results that are still pending. The Carbon to Coatings technology is scientifically promising – whether it can be translated economically into product formulations is something the research of the coming years will show. The structural reinforcement system is still at an early stage of basic research. And some regulatory frameworks – for circular economy certifications or digital product passports, for example – will change considerably over the coming years.

We keep this page up to date. If something changes, we say so.

Things We Also Need to Think About

Not everything that is relevant can yet be translated into concrete project plans. Two topics accompany our work as open questions on which we continue to develop our thinking.

Biodiversity Footprint

A company's ecological footprint does not end with CO₂. Raw material extraction, land use, water consumption, and chemical inputs have direct impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity. Methodologically robust standards for measuring and assessing the biodiversity footprint are still under development – both scientifically and regulatorily. We are actively following this development and will take a position once reliable foundations exist. Preliminary quick measurements that look more like statements of intent than genuine findings are not our approach.

Social Aspects and Societal Benefit

As a B Corporation, we measure ourselves not only by ecological criteria but also by social ones: fair working conditions throughout the supply chain, regional value creation, and accessibility of our products across different market segments. The societal benefit of durable, healthy coating systems – fewer pollutants in interiors, healthier living environments, less resource waste through premature product failure – is real, but difficult to monetise and rarely visible. We want to work on documenting and communicating this benefit better, without lapsing into self-congratulation.

Our Guiding Principle for All Three Pillars

Every project on this roadmap must withstand four questions:
1. Is the end product more capable, or at least equivalent, to what is currently available on the market?
2. Is the ecological footprint measurably better?
3. Can it be produced at a price that is viable for our customers?
4. Is it circular – or at least on the way there?
If all four answers are positive, we continue. If not, we start again.

Why There Is Nothing Here About PCF

The product carbon footprint (PCF) is widely discussed. We will not be investing much further effort in this topic, because it does not make real sense – for the following reasons:

• The sum of all PCFs of a company is the company's total footprint.
• We have been measuring, reducing, and offsetting our total CO₂ footprint for many years.
• The question of allocation – how much of the total footprint is attributed to which product – is a secondary question within homogeneous product groups. It is roughly equivalent to asking which share of the cost of BMW's Christmas party should be allocated to the steering wheel.
• Calculating the PCF is technically possible (and we do so occasionally), but it is laborious and prone to error – and occasionally to manipulation. Put all the bad emissions onto a product you don't sell anyway, and suddenly other products look better than they are.

We therefore prefer to concentrate our efforts on areas where we can achieve a higher, measurable impact.

As of: 2026. Next update: 2027.