Pioneer Stories: Empowering the Transition to Chromate-free Coil Coating Primers

At Beckers, we continue to expand our offering of chromate-free primers to meet customer demand and the latest global chemical regulations. Adhering to our unwavering commitment to sustainability, we are proactively supporting the transition of chromate-free coil primers, as part of our 2030 Goal for eliminating all “Concern” class products in Beckers Sustainability Index (BSI) from our portfolio.

An evolving industry trend leaning toward sustainability

Due to toxicity and negative environmental impact, coil coating customers are increasingly switching to non-toxic solutions. In fact, chromate-free primers have not only significantly lower environmental impact but are also much safer for human health – all while offering excellent corrosion protection and meeting all performance requirements. Consistently, this is also reflected in relevant regulations, such as the broadening of the EU REACH chemical regulations to restrict more chromate substances and the need to declare them as part of the China Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulations.

Beckers has a strong expertise in chromate-free primers

Since the 1990s, we have started developing chromate-free primers. BeckryPrim Chrome Free Primers, resulted from more than 10 years of extensive studies on more than 770 systems, are particularly suitable for a wide range of substrates and pretreatments, which are compatible with most topcoats. Our range of chromate-free primers for steel and aluminum can provide similar corrosion resistance as chromate-based primers. Over the years, we have conducted atmospheric corrosion testing, leveraging unique coastal and inland conditions to evaluate material life and degradation, creating and refining generations of products at our testbeds in Bohus-Malmön, Sweden and many other locations worldwide.

“Our approach requires close customer collaboration to ensure quality and functionality while making the important transition to more sustainable coil coating products,” says Gavin Bown, Chief Technology Officer at Beckers. “The benefits of our chromate-free products are clear – not only do they meet the latest regulations and ensure healthier working environments for the workers of our coil coating customers, but they also produce less hazardous waste and contribute toward global sustainability goals.”

 

 

It’s not just Beckers – we need to join hands with our customers and suppliers

Although we’re now off to a great start, it is not the end of the story. With the establishment of FutureLab, ongoing innovation including future research and testing of sustainability innovations and developing new primer formulations, will further improve the sustainability and functionality performance of our chromate-free primers. In parallel, we are also exploring the potential to scale up chromate-free technologies, as well as partnerships to develop more next-generation sustainable materials. We urge you to stay tuned for more updates on chromate-free primer!