The SDC EC organised its 9th ‘Day of Colour’ recently at the Boardroom, Textile Committee, Prabhadevi, Mumbai. This event was exclusively organised for Medallists, Charted Colourists, ASDCs, FSDCs and Voting members. The event theme this year was ‘Sustainability driven Innovations’. This event was attended by 30 qualification holders, medallists, Trustees and voting members of SDC.
Padmadas Nair who spoke on “Sustainable Innovations†is R&D/TS&D Leader India region of Dow Chemical International Private Ltd with 15 years’ experience and 3 patents. Dow spends 2.5 per cent of income on R&D per year and earns 35 per cent profit from innovation sales and product life cycle shortened to 3-5 years. Criterion for sustainability of material is 3-4 times carbon footprint.
Some of the areas that were focused at the meet are as follows:
High throughput research: Develop new materials and formulations using science and technology, surfactant materials and rheology modifiers. Data collection, analysis and modelling are keys to using technology. This capability helps experiments in a scale of 5 ml to 50 ml using robotic equipments which allow dispensing of pigments to high viscosity materials. It also helps to analyse the data e.g. compatibility of different ingredients in home and personal care formulations especially stability and for meeting customer needs.
Formaldehyde abatement technology converts formaldehyde in the air to moisture making the interiors comfortable. Asian Paints have introduced a paint based on this technology. Silicone based paints for buildings for aesthetic value and once it is painted, one cannot change the colour, which is a limitation. Yet, it is used for water proofing and specific walls as per architect planning.
In textile, PVC free silicone-based inks are used for screen printing with stretch which effect soft feel for synthetics and cotton. RO membrane is used for ZLD application due to regulations. Water can be recycled, and sludge disposal is necessary. Enzyme is used for plastic recycling in effluent treatment.
Nair concluded that sustainability is not a buzz word but has become important in their R&D centre in terms of energy efficiency from conceptualisation to building materials. Companies adopt this as core of their corporate strategy for success in long term.