Kemira Oyj
Press Release
June 10, 2009 at 9.00 am (CET+1)
June 10, 2009 at 9.00 am (CET+1)
Today, Alcro-Beckers AB became the first company to receive the Nordic Ecolabel known as “the Swan” for its exterior paints. Alcro-Beckers AB is part of the Finnish Tikkurila that is responsible for Kemira’s paints and coatings business. This recognition is in line with Tikkurila’s long-term environmental focus, which aims at developing paints with the smallest possible impact on the environment.
“Exterior paints form a product area, in which environmentally sound choices really make a difference. The Nordic Ecolabel helps both professionals and consumers to choose correctly,” says Ragnar Unge, Managing Director, Ecolabelling Sweden AB.
“Being the first to be granted the Nordic Ecolabel for exterior paints is proof that our environmental focus is producing concrete results. Our target is to continuously develop high-quality paints with a minimal environmental impact,” says Niklas Frisk, Managing Director, Alcro-Beckers AB. The company has decided to limit 99% of its paint selection exclusively to water-borne products by the end of 2010. Alcro-Beckers sells decorative paints to consumers and professional painters in Scandinavia and is the leader in Sweden with a 40% share of the market.
The Nordic Ecolabel is the official environmental label of the Nordic countries. It sets strict requirements on the entire life-cycle of products, from raw materials to production and use, and finally to disposal of waste. For example, paint must not contain solvents or any chemical substances that disturb hormone systems. Heavy metals are also forbidden.
The quality of a product displaying the Nordic Ecolabel must be on the same level, or exceed, that of products without ecolabels. Tests carried out by the Nordic Ecolabel show that Alcro-Beckers’ ecolabelled paints have excellent resistance to flaking, cracking and blistering. They maintain their gloss and color while also protecting the painted surface from algae and fungal growth.
Tikkurila is the leading paints and coatings company in Finland, Sweden and Russia and one of the leaders in its field in the Baltic States. Tikkurila provides consumers, professional painters and industrial customers with branded products and expert services in approximately 40 countries. Its range consists of decorative paints and coatings for the wood and metal industries. In 2008, the company had revenue of EUR 648 million and a staff of 4,000.
For more information, please contact:
Alcro-Beckers AB
Anna-Lena Högfeldt, Marketing Manager
Phone +46 8 775 609 94, mobile phone +46 70 745 60 64
Ecolabelling Sweden AB
Anja Grundberg, Press Contact
Phone +46 708 65 51 36, anja.grundberg@svanen.nu
Tikkurila Group
Susanna Aaltonen, Vice President, Group Communications
Phone +358 9 8577 2488, mobile phone +358 40 593 4221
www.alcro-beckers.com, www.beckers.se, www.alcro.se, www.svanen.nu, www.tikkurila.com
Kemira is a focused company, best in water and fiber management chemistry.
In 2008, Kemira recorded revenue of approximately EUR 2.8 billion and had a staff of 9,400. Kemira operates in 40 countries.