Novacolor: Colors that Regenerate the World
The scarcity of the planet’s resources is driving new strategies in industrial production, with sustainability playing an increasingly vital role. Novacolor, part of the San Marco Group, has long embraced this challenge by pioneering eco-conscious materials and anticipating global trends. Our research and development teams continuously seek new solutions that respect the environment while delivering outstanding decorative performance.
Over the past decade, Novacolor has made a conscious effort to eliminate or drastically reduce the use of harmful substances and toxic solvents, starting from the earliest design phases of new materials. The result is a portfolio of innovative, low-VOC (volatile organic compound) products developed under strict environmental standards. The San Marco Group also conducts full LCA (Life Cycle Assessments), examining the entire lifecycle of our products and their environmental impact.
Through Firenzecolor, Novacolor’s U.S. subsidiary, these sustainable solutions are made available to architects, designers, and applicators across North America.
Indoor Air Comfort Gold
We are part of the leading company in Italy in the sector of paints and varnishes for the professional building industry to receive Eurofins Indoor Air Comfort Gold certification, which attests to the environmental compatibility of our products and the total absence of VOCs in their composition, i.e. the lack of dangerous substances emitted by building materials that affect health.
REDcert²-certified
The REDcert²-certified Biomass Balance approach, an important certificate in the industry sector dedicated to those who have chosen to invest significantly in sustainable raw materials, makes it possible to reduce carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere during the entire production cycle thanks to the massive replacement of fossil resources with renewable resources from biomass, as well as the recovery and reuse of waste destined for waste and disposal.
Formaldehyde-free
Formaldehyde is one of the most insidious health hazards, and can make indoor air up to 10 times more polluted than outdoor air. Our formaldehyde-eating and formaldehyde-free coating products are specific in that they succeed in “capturing” formaldehyde molecules and “imprisoning” them, thus preventing people occupying the rooms from inhaling them.
Life Cycle Assessment
The LCA system considers the entire life cycle of our products, evaluating the energy and raw materials required for the entire process. This environmental-impact assessment enhances the knowledge and awareness that are essential for developing and making low-environmental-impact products.
Low & Zero VOC
Volatile organic compounds are chemical compounds formed by molecules of different kinds but all evaporate easily into the air at room temperature. VOCs greatly affect global and climate changes, as well as human health. Our products have a low VOC content: they reduce indoor pollution and also help us help our planet.
Indoor Air Quality A+
Our eco-friendly products are Indoor Air Quality A+, a categorization that classifies the emissions of finishes measured into the environment after 28 days from application. An A+ product makes our walls high quality, helps the environment, and supports our health — among the most important issues we all currently address.
The Mass Balance Approach
To further advance sustainability, Novacolor has partnered with BASF, the world’s leading chemical company, to implement the innovative Mass Balance Approach. This method redefines the production chain by integrating renewable raw materials at the very beginning of the binder production cycle, replacing fossil resources with certified biomass such as bio-naphtha and bio-gas from organic waste and vegetable oils.
The result is a new generation of Novacolor paints and coatings formulated with renewable resources while maintaining the same uncompromising standards of quality and performance. By reducing CO₂ emissions and driving the shift away from fossil resources, the Mass Balance Approach represents a true revolution in the coatings industry, enabling professionals to make a tangible contribution to safeguarding the environment.
Thanks to Firenzecolor, Novacolor’s Mass Balance products and sustainable finishes are accessible throughout the U.S., ensuring American projects benefit directly from Italy’s innovation in eco-conscious decorative solutions.
Green Approach, Design and Wellbeing
Benefits of the BASF Biomass Balance Method
The BASF biomass balance approach contributes to the use of renewable raw materials within BASF’s integrated production system and can be applied across much of their portfolio. This collaboration allows Novacolor to lead the decorative finishes industry with sustainable innovation.
- Reduces CO₂ emissions and greenhouse gases
- Massively reduces fossil resource use
- Drives the adoption of renewable resources
- Independently certified for transparency
- Ensures identical product quality and performance
BASF developed this method with TÜV SÜD, ensuring renewable feedstocks are introduced at the start of production and allocated to end products via a certified chain of custody. This guarantees sustainable development without compromising product excellence.
Through Firenzecolor, Novacolor proudly brings these responsible innovations to the U.S. market.
Benefits of the BASF biomass balance approach