BASF Coatings And 3M Join Forces To Define Sustainable Collision Repair Practices

BASF’s Coatings division and 3M will co-develop and deliver new standard operating procedures and training content to the collision repair industry to help body shops achieve greater sustainability and productivity within the automotive refinish process. This includes reducing material waste and emissions while driving more productive processes that deliver better quality in a more profitable way.

The collaboration occurred after the companies said they recognised that the industry would benefit from a clearly defined vision on what sustainability can mean for businesses. BASF and 3M said the SOPs can reduce unnecessary material waste, overspray, rework, non-productivity time and volatile organic compound emissions.

“Leadership in sustainability isn’t an option, it’s an expectation,” said Dave Gunderson, President of the 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division. “Often times, shops may equate becoming more sustainable with expensive new products or complicated new processes. Starting with these new SOPs, 3M and BASF Coatings are taking the steps to help define how to meaningfully advance sustainability in the repair process. We’re proud to be collaborating with BASF Coatings, and we hope these SOPs underline to shops that the path toward greater sustainability can be simple, cost-effective and beneficial in expanding technician skill sets.”

Rahel Reichmann, Head of Sustainability for Refinish Coatings at BASF, said: “By collaborating with one of the world’s leading innovators in 3M, we improve our customers’ environmental footprint beyond our BASF sustainable paint portfolio by providing shops with standard operating procedures focused on reducing waste [and] emissions, and improving efficiencies. We have confirmed with a significant number of body shops around the world that a sustainable body shop definition and certification is needed to move the industry forward.”