Germany’s Wacker is collaborating with Dynaplak, a Dutch manufacturer of bio-based raw materials, to develop hybrid binders for the paints and coatings market.

The binders, to be made at Dynaplak’s site at Veendam in the Netherlands, will be based on polymers and starch, a byproduct of potato processing. They will be part of Wacker’s new Vinneco line, and the first products for interior wall paints are scheduled to launch during the first quarter of 2019.

“Our partnership with Dynaplak lays the foundations for increasing our contribution to more sustainability in the binders market. We will be one of the first chemical companies to expand our portfolio with products based partially on renewable raw materials,” said Dominique Nely, who manages Wacker’s binders for consumer goods and industrial applications in western Europe.

In the first phase, Mely said, the company will focus on interior paints – where demand for ecological alternatives to petroleum-based binders is growing strongly. In an emulsified form, starch helps to bind together paint’s components, such as pigments and fillers.

Wacker produces polymer binders at plants in Germany, USA, China and South Korea.