Color and community were the focus of attention in Porte Alegre today when AkzoNobel gave a vibrant demonstration of its commitment to developing a strong leadership position in the Brazilian decorative paints market.
Six new environmentally sustainable products have been launched under the company’s leading Coral and Sparlack brands – featuring new technologies, formulas, attributes and colors – just as the latest project in an ongoing AkzoNobel initiative to revitalize local neighborhoods in Brazil was being completed.
“As the world’s largest coatings company, we believe that color has the power to transform communities and change people’s lives,” said Tex Gunning, the AkzoNobel Board member responsible for Decorative Paints. “Brazil is especially significant because we are committed to developing a strong leadership position in what is a key high growth market for us. We also hope to inspire more and more people to become part of an exciting color movement which is rapidly gaining momentum.”
“Today’s launch of these new products also signals our intent to accelerate the development of our portfolio and continue providing Brazilian consumers throughout the country with innovative, eco-premium paint products that can make a real difference. Our Coral Decora Light & Space paint, for example, reflects twice as much luminosity, which means consumers can switch lights on later in the day, saving energy as a result.
We are also making good progress towards our 2015 target of achieving 30 percent of sales through sustainable and eco-premium paint solutions.”
The launch coincided with the completion of the recent community painting project in Porto Alegre. AkzoNobel employees and skilled professionals teamed up with several local residents (who had all received special training) and together they painted the façades of more than 70 homes using in excess of 2,000 liters of Coral products. It’s the latest facelift to be staged as part of the company’s “Everything in color for you” (Tudo de cor para você) program – which has already revitalized neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Bahia, Pernambuco, Mato Grosso and Para – with care always being taken to preserve original architecture features and regional characteristics.
AkzoNobel operates 14 factories in Brazil across nine different businesses and employs more than 2,500 people. There are three Decorative Paints facilities – in Mauá, Recife and Raposo Tavares. The country’s per capita consumption of paint is five liters, well below the 20 liters of mature markets. The company’s 2009 revenue in Latin America totaled €1.23 billion.