In today's world, where environmental protection is increasingly ingrained in people's minds, "green" and "environmentally friendly" have become core considerations for consumers when choosing products, and the coatings industry is no exception. The pollution problems and health hazards brought about by traditional solvent-based coatings have led people to yearn for safer and more environmentally friendly coating products. The emergence of green and environmentally friendly coatings not only solves the environmental pain points of traditional coatings but also meets diversified needs with superior performance, becoming a core direction for the transformation and upgrading of the coatings industry. So, what exactly are green and environmentally friendly coatings? What are their characteristics and what development trend do they exhibit? Let's analyze them one by one.

1. Core Definition of Green and Environmentally Friendly Coatings

"Green means environmentally friendly, and environmentally friendly means friendly"—this is the core essence of green and environmentally friendly coatings. These coatings are also known as "green-friendly coatings," and their essence is a new type of coating that protects the ecological environment from pollution and ensures human health is not harmed throughout its entire life cycle. Many people mistakenly believe that green and environmentally friendly coatings are "absolutely pollution-free," but in reality, they are not completely free of any harmful substances. Rather, through technological innovation, harmful components are controlled to extremely low levels, minimizing the impact on human health and the environment. Most harmful substances in coatings come from additives. For example, traditional coatings, to ensure workability and stability, often add volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and solvents containing harmful volatile substances. Green and environmentally friendly coatings, however, optimize their formulations, eliminating or replacing highly polluting additives, thus reducing harm at the source. In addition, green and environmentally friendly coatings bear greater environmental responsibility: reducing exhaust emissions and radioactive pollution, lowering energy consumption during production and use, and improving resource reuse rates, truly achieving the dual goals of "aesthetics and practicality, as well as green sustainability."

2. Core Characteristics of Green and Environmentally Friendly Coatings

The market acceptance of green and environmentally friendly coatings stems not only from their environmental attributes but also from their superior performance, truly achieving "environmental protection and practicality in parallel." Regarding health and safety, they absolutely do not contain harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or heavy metal salts, and have been tested and certified by professional institutions to be odorless, non-toxic, and pollution-free. Construction is simple and time-saving, leaving a smooth and even finish with a beautiful and elegant decorative effect. More importantly, it does not release harmful substances even in enclosed spaces, creating a safe and healthy living environment for your family. In terms of performance, its advantages are outstanding: high hardness, good gloss, moisture-proof and breathable, frost-resistant and scratch-resistant, while also possessing strong adhesion and corrosion resistance, adapting to the needs of different environments. It is especially suitable for building exteriors that are sensitive to climate, humidity, and sunlight, and its service life is more than five years longer than traditional paints, reducing the hassle of frequent renovations and lowering overall costs. These qualities allow green and environmentally friendly paints to shed the stereotype that "environmental friendliness equates to compromised performance," becoming a high-quality choice that balances health, practicality, and longevity.

3. Current Status of Green and Environmentally Friendly Paint Applications

With the continuous improvement of people's environmental awareness, the requirements for the quality and environmental standards of paint products are also becoming increasingly stringent. Non-environmentally friendly and unsafe paint products are gradually being eliminated from the market, and green and environmentally friendly paints are ushering in a golden age of development. Currently, my country's green and environmentally friendly coatings market is experiencing a "supply shortage," and has been vigorously promoted in the construction, home furnishing, and industrial sectors. Globally, the development momentum of green and environmentally friendly coatings is strong. Related data shows that the utilization rate of green and environmentally friendly decorative coatings in China is only 12%, while the utilization rate in developed countries is as high as 85% to 95%. This gap also indicates that my country's market potential for green and environmentally friendly coatings is enormous. Today, the research and development speed of green and environmentally friendly coatings is astonishing, accounting for 35% of the world's total coating production and occupying two of the three core application areas of the coating industry. In industrialized countries, green and environmentally friendly coatings dominate the architectural coatings sector, becoming the industry mainstream.

4. Core Categories and Performance Characteristics of Green and Environmentally Friendly Coatings

Domestic and international experts have focused on core directions in the research and development of green and environmentally friendly coatings, and three main categories have been formed, each with its own characteristics, capable of meeting the application needs of different scenarios.

4.1 Powder Coatings

Powder coatings are 100% solid powder coatings. Their core difference from traditional solvent-based and water-based coatings lies in their raw material composition—they do not rely on solvents or water as dispersion media and exist entirely in solid form. During the coating process, the sprayed powder can be recycled and reused repeatedly, with no solvent evaporation pollution. Production and application are both safe and environmentally friendly. Furthermore, automated filling is easily achieved, resulting in extremely high production efficiency. This perfectly aligns with the internationally popular "4E" principle (environmentally friendly, economical, efficient, and high-performance), leading to rapid development in recent years. Powder coatings are mainly divided into two categories: thermoplastic and thermosetting. Thermoplastic powder coatings use high-molecular-weight thermoplastic resins as the film-forming substance, resulting in higher costs but also excellent chemical resistance and toughness, and are mostly used for functional coatings. Thermosetting powder coatings use thermosetting resins and curing agents as the film-forming core, with lower molecular weights. During curing, they exhibit stable flowability, good wettability, strong adhesion to substrates, and a beautiful coating appearance. Common epoxy, polyester, and polyurethane powder coatings belong to this category, currently having the largest production and application scale and the highest market share in the chemical industry.

4.2 Water-based Coatings

Water-based coatings use water as a diluent, are non-toxic and odorless, do not easily yellow, and are harmless to human health and the environment. Compared with oil-based coatings, they are non-flammable, require no separate storage, and are more convenient to transport and store, making them a popular choice for home decoration. Currently, water-based coatings on the market are mainly divided into three categories: First, water-soluble coatings (also known as "water-based paints"), with water-soluble resin as the core component, have strong solubility and can quickly form a strong protective film after application, exhibiting outstanding environmental performance and being hailed by the chemical industry as the "third coating revolution"; second, water-dilutable coatings, which dissolve resin by adding emulsifying emulsions and can be directly diluted with water during construction, offering strong compatibility; and third, water-dispersible coatings (i.e., latex paints), with synthetic resin emulsions as the core, are currently the most widely used water-based coatings in home decoration. With tightening environmental policies, European and American countries have gradually mandated the use of water-based paints, and my country is also accelerating its water-based transformation. In the future, water-based coatings will dominate the market.

4.3 High-Solids Coatings

High-solids coatings typically refer to solvent-based coatings with low VOC content and high solids content. Their volume solids content is 75%–85% higher, or even higher, than traditional solvent-based thermosetting coatings. In my country, coatings with a solids content greater than or equal to 75% can be called high-solids coatings, while internationally, the requirements for solids content in special-purpose coatings such as automotive topcoats are even higher. The core of research and development for this type of coating is to maintain excellent application and film-forming properties while reducing solvent content—through techniques such as reducing the molecular weight of synthetic resins and narrowing the molecular weight distribution, ensuring that the coating film function is not affected while reducing the use of organic solvents, saving resources, and reducing pollution. Early high-solids coatings had shortcomings in hardness and color retention, but the latest generation of products has overcome these problems, with extremely low solvent content and high quality standards. They are widely used in various industries, safeguarding green environmental protection.

5. Conclusion

The rise of green and environmentally friendly coatings is an inevitable result of the growing awareness of environmental protection and the upgrading of industry technology. With "healthy, harmless, and environmentally friendly" as its core, it balances excellent performance with long-lasting durability, meeting consumers' needs for safe homes and aligning with global sustainable development strategies. From an application perspective, my country's green and environmentally friendly coatings market has enormous potential, driven by both policy support and market demand, propelling the industry forward. Powder coatings, water-based coatings, and high-solids coatings are the three main categories, each with its own advantages, covering multiple application scenarios in construction, home furnishings, and industry, providing consumers and businesses with a wide range of choices. In the future, with continuous technological innovation, green and environmentally friendly coatings will achieve greater breakthroughs in reducing harmful components, improving performance, and expanding application scenarios. For coating companies, focusing on the green and environmentally friendly field, increasing R&D investment, and improving product quality are key to seizing market opportunities; for consumers, choosing green and environmentally friendly coatings is not only taking responsibility for their own health but also supporting environmental protection. It is believed that with the joint efforts of the entire industry, green and environmentally friendly coatings will completely replace traditional high-pollution coatings, leading the coatings industry into a new stage of healthier, more environmentally friendly, and more sustainable development.