Bona says “NO” for the solvent base finishes

For almost 30 years the R&D at Bona has been focusing on developing environmentally sound products for the treatment of wooden floors. Now the company is phasing out its solvent based finishes completely in the EU by February 1, 2009 and will sell only waterborne finishes.

Bona has a tradition of commitment to personal health, indoor air quality and the environment, and has led the development of lowering VOCs (Volitile Organic Compounds) in finishes, while maintaining industry-leading performance standards. In 1979 Bona was one of the first companies to introduce waterborne finishes for wooden floors. Today Bona are the experts of the waterborne floor finishing technology having developed sales success products such as Bona Traffic and Bona Mega. Today all of Bona’s waterborne products already meet the European VOC limits for 2010 thanks to the intensive research and development done by the R&D of the company.

“One of the goals of our environmental work is that our products should cause no harm to health nor to the environment. It therefore gives me great satisfaction that we took the bold decision in 2007 to phase out solvent-based finishes in the EU by 1 February 2009. We were pioneers in the market of waterborne finishes, that is why, the stopping of producing and selling of solvent-based finishes in EU is a logical and responsible decision”, - says Bona President and CEO Kerstin Lindell. This for one thing means that Bona no longer will produce solvent based finishes in its factory in Malmö, Sweden.

Now Bona has an educational job ahead of them to persuade the remaining craftsmen of solvent-based finishes to switch. Waterborne polyurethane coatings are increasingly gaining acceptance in the market. They emit only very small amounts of VOCs, are nearly odorless and have since achieved a property level nearly identical to that of their solvent based counterparts. But still solvent based finishes are dominating some markets, not least in the USA and in Asia.

“This is surprising considering the evident health risks related to strong solvents. We don’t see any good reason why flooring contractors should continue to use unhealthy solvent-based finishes when high-performing waterborne alternatives exist. We think the time is right now for the market in Europe to make the changeover completely to waterborne finishes, especially with stricter legislation in the EU on the content of VOCs and formaldehyde allowed in finishes”,- says Kerstin Lindell, Bona. It will be worth to mention that solvent based finishes are already prohibited in some countries, such as Sweden.

New regulations for limiting VOCs

The global concern for reducing air and water pollution is increasing. When solvents evaporate, the fumes have an impact on levels of ozone found near the ground. This ozone is the most dangerous component of smog. Smog can hang like a low cloud over cities and towns affecting both people and plants. On 1 January 2007, new regulations came into force in the EU to combat air pollution. The new directive sets limits for the content of VOCs, which are found in products such as floor finishes, decorative paints and coatings for cars. The restrictions on the amount of VOCs in paints and finishes come into force in two stages in 2007 and 2010. All of Bona’s current waterborne products already meet the coming European regulations for 2010 thanks to the intensive research and development done by Bona.