Workshop: When the Formulation Hits the Market: Delivering Sustainable Coatings Without Losing Performance or Trust,

When the Formulation Hits the Market: Delivering Sustainable Coatings Without Losing Performance or Trust, explores the gap between formulated performance and real-world application. Drawing on perspectives from raw material suppliers, technical service teams, and end users, it addresses performance gaps in low-VOC and PFAS-free systems and how companies manage customer trust when sustainability trade-offs become visible in the field.

This workshop examines what happens after sustainable coating formulations move beyond decision-making and into real-world use during production, application, and long-term performance.

It highlights a common gap: products that meet sustainability and regulatory goals on paper can face unexpected challenges when scaled up or applied in the field. The focus is on practical realities such as performance inconsistencies, application variability, durability concerns, and how these issues affect customer trust, warranties, and liability.

The session opens with a “reality check,” outlining where promising formulations often fall short once deployed, and emphasising the disconnect between laboratory results and real-world conditions. It then moves into case-led perspectives, where contributors share first hand experiences covering both successes and challenges to illustrate how expectations and limitations play out in practice.

A panel discussion explores key tensions, including performance gaps in newer sustainable systems, the balance between durability and sustainability claims, and the challenges of maintaining quality and consistency during application. It also addresses how companies communicate with customers and manage risk when trade-offs become visible.

The workshop concludes with an interactive problem-solving session, where participants bring real scenarios and receive practical, experience-based advice. Overall, the session is designed to help organisations better manage the transition from formulation to market, ensuring sustainable coatings perform reliably while maintaining trust.