Teknos Joins Major Project

Teknos Develops Bio-Based Binders and Coatings Coatings manufacturer Teknos is participating in a project to develop bio-based binders and coatings as sustainable alternatives to fossil-based materials. The SUSBINCO project was created by a consortium comprised of Finnish companies and research institutes aimed at developing new and bio-based product portfolios for production and commercialization in global markets. Pasi Virtanen, R&D Director at Teknos Innovation Group, stated: "Sustainable binders and coatings are becoming increasingly important. To combat climate change and resource scarcity, companies across all sectors need to develop low-carbon, bio-based alternatives to fossil-based materials. In the coatings industry, material availability and prices, as well as high technical requirements, limit the use of bio-based solutions. For this reason, developing new alternatives is highly important." The SUSBINCO project aims to develop binders and coatings that can be used in packaging, paints, adhesives, putty and abrasives. The objective is to achieve 80-100% bio-based content in the developed binders and coatings. The project began in autumn 2021 and ends in 2023. Virtanen added: "We have ambitious targets for this project: enabling products with at least 80% bio-content means doubling the current bio-level. At the end of the project, we hope to have a series of polymers with high bio-based content that we can widely use in our own solutions. This is an important project that also provides excellent support for our current corporate strategy." Funded by Business Finland, Finland's export promotion agency, SUSBINCO will support the country in developing and becoming a market leader in bio-based solutions. Among the consortium partners, alongside Teknos, are Brightplus, CH-Bioforce, CH-Polymers, Kiilto, Met-Gen, Metsä Board, Mirka, Montinutra, UPM-Kymmene, Valmet Technologies, Åbo Akademi University, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology (LUT), University of Oulu, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Tampere University and University of Eastern Finland. Virtanen stated: "It is great to be part of such a broad and experienced consortium. Teknos, as a coatings manufacturer, aims to expand the final use applications of coatings and binders developed in the project. We also provide expertise on the technical requirements of raw materials used in the coatings industry. As a global company, we hope to bring top-level export potential to the solutions developed." Source