New tools for industrial coating comapies in Belgium

Faced with the environmental, regulatory and economic challenges confronting surface treatment companies, VOM wants to help Belgian surface treatment companies compliy with the European Clean Industrial Deal, the CO₂ emission reduction targets, the growing expectations of customers and clients, as well as the new reporting obligations, are creating a new reality for companies.

Therfore VOM has entered into a partnership with Moore, a multidisciplinary partner specialising in supporting organisations in matters of sustainability, strategy and transformation. This collaboration aims to make the transition simpler, more gradual and more pragmatic.

Tools serving coating and sufrace companies

Several initiatives are currently being developed to support surface treatment stakeholders:

• a sector-specific carbon footprint calculation tool, specifically adapted to surface treatment activities;
• support towards producing a first sustainability report based on the European voluntary standard Basic VSME;
• training courses and support on digitalisation, subsidies, artificial intelligence and other strategic issues for the sector.

The objective is to help companies meet the new regulatory requirements while creating greater value for themselves, as well as for their customers, suppliers, employees and financial partners.

“Sustainability should not be seen as an additional constraint, but as an opportunity to strengthen the competitiveness of our companies. Our role is to transform this evolution into concrete solutions for our members, adapted to the realities of surface treatment.“ Philippe Legros, President of VOM

First actions are launched

As the first concrete step of this strategy, VOM is launching, in collaboration with Moore, a training course specifically designed for surface treatment companies. Based on the European Basic VSME standard, this practical training enables participants to produce their first sustainability report through concrete exercises, initial environmental calculations and personalised support.

The second action consists in the development of a digital tool, broadly supported by the sector, to calculate the carbon footprint of processes specific to surface treatment. To this end, a “CO₂ Footprint” working group has been set up. It brings together a diverse representation of VOM members: AG Coating, Eco-Vision, Gysen, Huppertz, Hydro Building Systems, Iris, Kanigen and OCAS.

VOM is a technical association active in the surface treatment sector in Belgium. Today, more than 260 companies are members of the association, including coating providers, equipment manufacturers and end users, integrated manufacturers, product and equipment suppliers, research centres and universities.

More information: www.vom.be

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