Why the Coatings Industry Is the Next Frontier for ClimateTech Innovation

Shaping the next era of coatings: innovation, sustainability and the power of digital

Have you ever looked at a massive, "unsexy" industry and wondered where the climate-tech opportunity actually hides? The coatings sector — think automotive finishes, packaging layers, industrial protection — is quietly becoming one of the most interesting arenas for sustainable innovation right now, and if you're building in adjacent spaces, it's worth paying attention.

Manufacturers are being asked to solve a complex equation: deliver higher performance and better sustainability, adapt to volatile supply chains, accelerate innovation, and support customers under growing productivity pressure. For founders in ClimateTech, that tension is exactly where new markets are born.

It's not just the chemistry — it's the workflow

Here's the shift that should catch your attention. The article, drawing on insights from PPG Industries' Chief Technology Officer David Bem, argues that it's no longer enough to provide coatings technology alone. Customers — automakers trying to cut energy use in paint shops, beverage companies adapting packaging to new regulations, contractors navigating stricter environmental standards — need processes, tools, and digital workflows that help them apply coatings more efficiently and consistently.

What does that mean for us as founders? If you're building in materials science, industrial IoT, or sustainability tooling, the coatings value chain is increasingly open to solutions that go beyond the product itself. The "job to be done" framework is alive and well here: customers want productivity, simplicity, and quality, and they're willing to adopt new digital layers to get there.

Raw-material volatility is reshaping R&D

One of the most concrete challenges the industry faces is unpredictable raw-material markets. Resins, pigments, solvents, and additives fluctuate in price and availability due to global demand cycles, geopolitical tensions, logistics constraints, and the push toward lower-carbon inputs. According to the analysis, this volatility is directly reshaping R&D strategy — teams need to formulate coatings using a broader range of inputs and pivot formulas quickly when conditions change.

For ClimateTech entrepreneurs, this is both a risk and an opening. The push for biobased resins, recycled polymers, waterborne technologies, and new catalyst systems is accelerating, driven by tightening regulations around VOC emissions and lifecycle impact. These aren't fringe experiments anymore; they're becoming the backbone of future formulations. If you're developing alternative materials or circular-economy solutions, the coatings industry is actively looking for partners who can help reduce dependence on vulnerable supply chains.

Where to look next

The broader picture here is one we see across industrial climate tech: technical complexity is increasing, customer expectations are climbing, and product lifecycles are compressing. That combination rewards agility — and it creates space for startups that can help incumbents navigate the transition.

If you're in the ideation or early-launch phase, coatings might not be the first sector you think of. But the convergence of sustainability mandates, digital transformation, and raw-material disruption is creating exactly the kind of alignment that ClimateTech founders thrive on. Start by mapping where existing players are struggling with workflow integration or material sourcing — that's where your solution has room to breathe.

The takeaway is reassuring in its simplicity: you don't need to reinvent chemistry from scratch. Sometimes the biggest impact comes from helping an industry apply what it already knows, more efficiently and more sustainably. That's a problem worth solving.