As reported by PF Online in their article “Reduced, Reused and Recycled Powder Coatings Are the Future,” powder coating has been a preferred method for finishing products for over fifty years due to its durability and environmentally friendly process. This method does not use solvents, and the overspray can be captured and reused. However, despite these green benefits, an estimated two billion pounds of powder paint are still sent to landfills each year.
In 1995, Dwayne Behrens joined Surplus Coatings in Kent City, Michigan, and recognized the need for innovative uses of excess powder coating. By 2001, he had acquired the company and embarked on a mission to prevent powder coatings from ending up in landfills. Behrens, alongside Brian Spicer, a former military chemical operations specialist, and Matt Johnson, an industry veteran, founded Innovakote to tackle this challenge.
Spicer explained their philosophy of using powder coatings for what they are, rather than what they were initially intended to be. Despite recycling over 125 million pounds of powder coating, the team knew more could be done. Collaborating with international partners, they developed specialized equipment to recycle 100% waste powder coating into new, virgin powder coatings.
Surplus Coatings began auditing customer orders and recycling returns, finding that about 40% of materials were sent back for recycling. Spicer highlighted the benefits of this circular economy, noting significant savings on landfill and disposal costs, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and the provision of cost-effective, specification-compliant materials with minimal environmental impact.
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Article with all rights reserved, courtesy of pfonline.com
