In the Netherlands, many people work passionately with biomass as a raw material. They work on innovations, improve (production) processes or create policy for a fossil-free future. We have had a series of conversations with people who work at companies where bio raw materials are central. In this mini-series we highlight what drives them to work on the transition to a sustainable world.
In this third episode a conversation with Joost Broeders and Arjan Rijnart from Baril.

The paint industry makes extensive use of oil and minerals for, among other things, binders, additives and dyes. But there are companies committed to a greener future, and Baril Coatings is one of them. Their goal? By 2030, they want all their products to consist of 100% renewable or plant-based materials.

We are curious about their story and met with Joost Broeders and Arjan Rijnart van Baril Coatings.

About 20 years ago, Baril took part in a business competition with a focus on CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). They were awarded the audience and encouragement prize in the form of a year's worth of economic advice from KPMG. The advice made them realize that sustainability was the only right course, and they started to look more intensively into sustainable developments.

Joost Broeders, Technical Director, explains: “During the advisory process we came to realize that the path to care for your environment, for nature, for the planet and materials was the only right route for us. As a small party, we always encountered the problem that we were not distinctive enough from the big brands. Partly because of our socially responsible approach, we said at the time that we must do things differently, we must supply products that matter. We started to look into it to implement the developments. From that moment on we took the Biobased route. In collaboration with our suppliers, we looked for products for which we could replace fossil raw materials with bio-based raw materials.

We were initially able to achieve high percentages of biobased, up to 80-85% in some products. However, in the scale-up phase we encountered the problem that the supplier of that raw material could not supply qualitatively stable material. That has been an important hurdle in product development. Ultimately, we had to scale back to products somewhere between 40% and 60% biobased and thus established an entire product package based on these raw materials.

For us, at Baril, it is a continuous search for raw materials with a higher biobased share. That is why we also participate in all kinds of consortium projects in the chain with suppliers and institutes, such as TNO and universities, to see whether we can successfully incorporate these new building blocks into the products together, so that we can achieve an even higher biobased share.
We are now also well on our way to introducing biobased paints with our industrial anti-corrosion paints, where percentages of up to 25% are currently possible.”

Arjan Rijnart, technical account manager, emphasizes: “It was really pioneering in the beginning, first a raw material came all the way from Canada and we tried it with certified soy, among other things. It was a real search for the right raw materials. Nowadays we use biobased raw materials that we can obtain closer to home, which is also much more sustainable. During the war in Ukraine we noticed that with bio raw materials we are less dependent on the supply of raw materials than with fossil raw materials.

We have been able to convert our entire construction paint line, which is everything you use in and around the house in terms of paints. We have been able to replace as much fossil fuel as possible with biobased ones. Not unimportant, while maintaining the high quality so that the professional painter does not notice that they are painting with products that contain bio-based or plant-based materials.

It is not yet 100% biobased, but we would like to get there. Our goal is for all our products to consist of 2030% renewable or plant-based materials by 100. We are working on this every day in our innovation lab.”

“I am originally a laboratory technician and quite introverted. As a laboratory technician, I wasn't really interested in whether we could make something cheaper or whether it would dry half an hour earlier. But now we really have a story to tell! That in addition to good paints, we are also working on a green future. I like to tell that story and that is why I now work as a representative of our products.”

Arjan Rijnart

Joost: “We have 75-80 people working here and they all walk around as proud as a peacock. Proud that they participate in the developments and that they can contribute.

To get as many do-it-yourselfers and professionals as possible to use sustainable paint, our consumer brand fairf and our professional painting brand Copperant are available online as well as in the hardware store. The idea? Every house is green inside and out.”

Baril Coatings has deeply anchored the 'one-planet' philosophy in its mission and business operations. Baril is aware of their responsibility as producers. They want to get out of everything they put in. The entire business process is continuously examined and it is continually examined whether more sustainable solutions are possible without sacrificing quality. Baril Coatings is therefore a real 'doing' company and demonstrates sustainable commitment through action.

Baril currently uses 100% recyclable cans, even for larger quantities. The paint company produces in the Netherlands, in a factory that runs on self-generated electricity from solar panels in combination with wind energy. Their entire fleet is also electric. Baril also deals with waste differently: paint is of course a product that should not end up in the water. It is and remains the most important point of attention for consumers that brushes and rollers are not rinsed under the tap after use, even if it concerns water-based (biobased) paint. In this way, the consumer can also make an important contribution to the preservation of the planet!