[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] On Thursday, several automotive paint manufacturers, including KCC, Samhwa Paints, Kangnam Jevisco, Joongkwang Paint, Axalta Coating Systems, and PPG Korea, issued a joint statement accusing Noroo Paint of violating a voluntary agreement made with the Ministry of Environment in 2022.
According to the manufacturers, WaterColorPlus, a base coat for automotive repairs launched by Noroo Paint in March 2024, was initially marketed as a water-based paint. However, the industry raised concerns that it should actually be classified as an oil-based paint. In response, the Ministry of Environment commissioned tests in August and September of 2024 to confirm whether WaterColorPlus was truly water-based. The tests were carried out by KIDI (Korea Insurance Development Institute's Automotive Technology Research Center), KCL (Korea Construction & Living Environment Testing & Research Institute), and KTR (Korea Testing & Research Institute).
The results of the tests revealed that when mixed with a water-based binder and diluent, the color deviation of WaterColorPlus was 13.7, indicating a significant color difference. In contrast, when mixed with oil-based resins and diluents (product name HQ) produced by Noroo Paint, the color deviation was only 0.5, indicating a much closer color match. The larger the color deviation, the poorer the reproduction of the paint color, suggesting that the paint should be used as oil-based rather than water-based to achieve accurate color results.
Furthermore, the color deviation of 0.5 resulted in a volatile organic compounds (VOCs) content of 766 grams per liter (g/L), which is 3.8 times higher than the legal limit set by the Air Quality Conservation Act (200 g/L).
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
