Advocacy

ACA engages on legislative, regulatory and judicial issues at the federal, state and local levels to represent and advocate for the U.S. paint and coatings industry. Click on a title below to read our latest filed comments and letters, or click on ACA in Action to see all letters and comments.
News

Beckers Group and Anodyne Chemistries Collaborate
Beckers Group announced its collaboration with Anodyne Chemistries to develop first-of-its-kind renewable chemicals, particularly Hexahydrophthalic Anhydride (HHPA.)

Covestro Expands Coatings and Adhesives Lab in Shanghai
Materials manufacturer Covestro announced the completion of a major expansion of its laboratory for coating and adhesive formulations in Shanghai. Part of the company’s Asia-Pacific Innovation Center, the lab, which spans over 3,000 square meters and new synthesis unit for waterborne polyurethane dispersions—a class of polymers key in enabling low-VOC coatings and adhesives. The unit enhances efficiency in scale-up simulations, troubleshooting and customer sampling.

Stahl Inaugurates Customer Center of Excellence in Mexico
Stahl has relocated and opened its enhanced Center of Excellence for Leather Finishing and Performance Coatings in León, Mexico. According to the company, the center —part of Stahl’s global network of more than 30 application labs, 10 Centers of Excellence and 15 manufacturing facilities — features a more complete customer experience, from multi-substrate design support and application development to testing and training.

Indorama Ventures Partners with PolySource
Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, a global sustainable chemical company and producer of specialty co-polyesters, has entered into a strategic distribution agreement with PolySource, a distributor of high-performance polymer solutions. The agreement, under Indorama Ventures’ Combined PET (CPET) segment, positions PolySource as an authorized distributor of specialty PET and PEN polymers across North America and key global markets.

RPM International Acquires Ready Seal
RPM International Inc. announced the acquisition of Ready Seal Inc. (Ready Seal), a Texas-based manufacturer of exterior wood stains, including its Goof-Proof™ stain-and-sealer-in-one, for its Rust-Oleum business in the Consumer Group.

SCAQMD Public Hearing for Proposed Amendments to Solvent Cleaning Operations Rule Set for June 6
California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) on May 6 issued a notice of public hearing for Proposed Amended Rule 1171 (Solvent Cleaning Operations). The district has also published the draft rule language and draft staff report on its website.

Statement of the American Coatings Association on Tariffs Imposed on Canada, Mexico and China
New tariffs imposed on the paint and coatings industry’s largest trading partners will introduce disruptions and increased costs into the production of essential consumer products, including medical devices and pharmaceuticals, food production equipment and grocery items, automobiles, and aerospace applications, among others.

EPA Publishes Preliminary List of Companies Subject to TSCA Risk Evaluation Fees
U.S. EPA has published preliminary lists identifying manufacturers (including importers) that may be subject to TSCA fee obligations associated with each EPA-initiated risk evaluation of the five High-Priority Substances Acetaldehyde (CASRN 75-07-0); Acrylonitrile (CASRN 107-13-1); Benzenamine (CASRN 62-53-3); Vinyl chloride (CASRN 75-01-4); and 4,4′-Methylene bis(2-chloroaniline) (CASRN 101-14-4). Regardless of whether a company is listed, any company that has manufactured or imported a listed chemical in the prior five years must report to EPA via the CDX (Central Data Exchange). EPA is accepting comments through March 3, 2025.

EPA Publishes Amendments to National Aerosol Coatings Rule in Response to ACA Petition
This action ensures a consistent regulatory framework and aligns with the California Air Resources Board’s aerosol coatings rule, which will help aerosol coatings manufacturers with streamlined compliance.

SCAQMD to Host Workshop on Proposed Amended Rule 1151 (Auto-Refinish) Aug. 30
California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is accepting written comments on the proposal through Sept. 13, 2024. The district intends to present the Proposed Amended Rule 1151 to the Governing Board at a public hearing on Nov. 1 (subject to change).

Beckers Group and Anodyne Chemistries Collaborate
Beckers Group announced its collaboration with Anodyne Chemistries to develop first-of-its-kind renewable chemicals, particularly Hexahydrophthalic Anhydride (HHPA.)

Covestro Expands Coatings and Adhesives Lab in Shanghai
Materials manufacturer Covestro announced the completion of a major expansion of its laboratory for coating and adhesive formulations in Shanghai. Part of the company’s Asia-Pacific Innovation Center, the lab, which spans over 3,000 square meters and new synthesis unit for waterborne polyurethane dispersions—a class of polymers key in enabling low-VOC coatings and adhesives. The unit enhances efficiency in scale-up simulations, troubleshooting and customer sampling.

Stahl Inaugurates Customer Center of Excellence in Mexico
Stahl has relocated and opened its enhanced Center of Excellence for Leather Finishing and Performance Coatings in León, Mexico. According to the company, the center —part of Stahl’s global network of more than 30 application labs, 10 Centers of Excellence and 15 manufacturing facilities — features a more complete customer experience, from multi-substrate design support and application development to testing and training.

Indorama Ventures Partners with PolySource
Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, a global sustainable chemical company and producer of specialty co-polyesters, has entered into a strategic distribution agreement with PolySource, a distributor of high-performance polymer solutions. The agreement, under Indorama Ventures’ Combined PET (CPET) segment, positions PolySource as an authorized distributor of specialty PET and PEN polymers across North America and key global markets.

RPM International Acquires Ready Seal
RPM International Inc. announced the acquisition of Ready Seal Inc. (Ready Seal), a Texas-based manufacturer of exterior wood stains, including its Goof-Proof™ stain-and-sealer-in-one, for its Rust-Oleum business in the Consumer Group.

David Fairhurst Presented with ACA’s 2025 CoatingsTech Best Paper Award
ACA presented its 2025 CoatingsTech Best Paper Award to David Fairhurst, Ph.D., president of Colloid Consultants, Ltd. Fairhurst received the honor at the 2025 CoatingsTech Conference for his paper, “Low Field (LF)-NMR Relaxation – A Useful Technique for QC and to Determine the Equivalency of Materials for Coatings Formulations,” coauthored by Ravi Sharma, Ph.D., and principal research fellow at Mageleka Inc.; and Ralph Jan Wörheide, M.Eng., and president and founder of Metromation Inc.

Follow ACA as it Celebrates the Inaugural World Paint and Coatings Week
From March 24 through March 28, ACA will join the World Coatings Council and paint and coatings associations and companies from around the world in this exciting global initiative launching across social media channels.

Dr. Lipiin Sung to Deliver Mattiello Memorial Lecture at ACA’s 2025 CoatingsTech Conference
Dr. Lipiin Sung, research physicist and project leader in the Infrastructure Materials Group of the Materials and Structural Systems Division of the Engineering Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), will deliver the Mattiello Memorial Lecture at ACA’s 2025 CoatingsTech Conference.

ACA’s New Global Market Analysis for the Paint & Coatings Industry Now Available
The new Global Market Analysis for the Paint & Coatings Industry (2024–2029) offers quantitative and qualitative data analysis, with 5-year projections for sector and segment performance. It is a robust resource for insight into the $202 billion global coatings industry.

Andrea Wagner Watts to Deliver Keynote Address at ACA’s 2025 CoatingsTech Conference
Andrea Wagner Watts, building science education manager at GAF, will deliver the keynote address at ACA’s 2025 CoatingsTech Conference. The conference — ACA’s leading technical event — will be held April 28-30, at the Omni William Penn, in Pittsburgh, Pa, and embrace the theme, “Coatings and Technologies for a Resilient Future.”
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CoatingsTech

New Products July 2025
Editor’s note: This column is a roundup of recent product releases from the coatings and allied industries. To submit a product release for consideration, email publications@paint.org. Please note that all submissions ...

Names in the News July 2025
ditor’s note: The following industry professionals have recently received promotions or appointments. To submit your company’s personnel news for possible publication in CoatingsTech, email publications@paint.org with “Names in the News” in the ...


Global Trends, Part 2: EUROPE & ASIA
Megatrends are wide-reaching, critical forces that shape our society and long-term economic and technological landscape, from which the paint and coatings industry is by no means exempt. These trends are ...

2025 CoatingsTech Conference Review
The American Coatings Association’s 2025 CoatingsTech Conference took place April 28-30 at the Omni William Penn Hotel in Pittsburgh, Pa., with 242 attendees from industry and academia gathering for three ...
Events

American Coatings Show & Conference 2026
May 5 - 7, 2026
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Thu, Jul 17, 2025 at 1:00pm
ACA Member Webinar: The Status of TSCA Reform
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Wed, Sep 3, 2025
Coatings Trends & Technologies Summit
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Wed, Sep 3, 2025
Asia Pacific Coatings Show
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Wed, Sep 3, 2025
Women in Chemicals Conference 2025