Sustainable Paint To Be Showcased At Milan Design Week

From relatively humble beginnings back in 1961 as a fair to promote the best in Italian furniture design and accessories, Milan Design Week, as it is now known, has become a global highlight in the design industry calendar. Not only does it attract exhibitors from all parts of the world, but across all facets of design too, and this year, a topical exhibition dedicated to sustainable paints and finishes will be taking place as part of the six-day event.

To be staged at the Highline Galleria on the rooftop of the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan's city centre, Finiture Green will be showcasing a range of plant-based coatings that are created from renewable materials, as well as clean chrome plating and other environmentally friendly coatings. "[The exhibition will] present the product lifecycle of paint, from start to green finish," the organizers told architecture and design magazine Dezeen.

On display will be plant-based paint resin Decovery, created by global science-based company DSM. The resin, which binds paint together, is created by extracting the sugars, starches and natural oils from trees and agricultural waste, and through a process known as biomass conversion thus reducing its carbon footprint.

Currently, the Decovery resin is 50 per cent derived from plants, but the company is working to create a 100 per cent plant-based finish. "We're on our way to creating completely natural paint resin, and it's here where our counterparts in the design industry can really help," said a representative from DSM. "To make our dream a reality we need everyone who uses paint – from designers to manufacturers to painters themselves and everyone in between – to come together to fuel this movement towards more sustainable plant-based finishes."

Milan Design Week 2018 runs from Tuesday, 17th April to Sunday, 22nd April.