JOTUN Paints, a leading producer and supplier of paints and coatings, is promoting its eco-friendly paint brand Jotashield Thermo in a bid to extend its support for the ‘green building’ concept in Qatar.

It has urged property developers to become ‘green compliant’ by implementing Jotun’s environmentally-safe paint solutions in their projects in the nationwide movement to adopt measures adhering to international ‘green’ building standards.
Jotashield Thermo has relatively low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) amongst all products in the market, the company claims.
“The absence of hazardous chemicals such as mercury, lead and cadmium in Jotashield Thermo improves the indoor environmental quality of a structure by lessening dangerous emissions that have been proven to cause numerous health problems,” says a spokesman for the company. “Furthermore, the product is equipped with thermal insulation properties, which deflects heat and reduces interior temperature and cooling costs, and provides high resistance to corrosion, heat shock and chemical changes, thereby making a building more energy efficient. Jotashield Thermo is also lightweight, water repellent, and breathable, with superior anti-condensation and crack bridging ability (up to 0.6 mm) that prevents structural damage.”
Commenting on Jotun’s plans to contribute towards sustainable development, Jotun Paints’ regional marketing manager Middle East Eirik Kristensen says: “As a global corporation with a fully-developed CSR (corporate social responsibility) and environmental policy, we are totally committed to providing innovative solutions that address challenging environmental issues. We are investing more than $25 million annually towards research and development to improve our paint range and make it as eco-friendly as possible. Jotashield Thermo has been the result of intense research to provide our customers with acceptable and unique solutions for their specific painting requirements, and we are optimistic that developers will adopt environment-friendly practices, which present both economical and environmental gains.”
Developers in Qatar are looking at a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognising performance in five key areas of human and environmental health – sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
Jotun has a clear mandate to support environment-friendly construction and contribute towards the regulation of environmental issues arising as a result of the tremendous boom witnessed in the construction and real estate sector over the years.
“We are ready to supply our clients with paint solutions that adhere to ‘green building’ standards. Through our support for environment-friendly construction, we are hoping to strengthen our overall commitment to protecting the environment as well as setting a trend among other firms to pursue eco-friendly initiatives as a significant part of their corporate social responsibility efforts,” says Kristensen.
Jotashield Thermo utilises the latest technological innovations in paint production. It has been used in a diverse range projects in the Middle East, including a truck inspection centre and Sharq Towers in Qatar and the Rashid Hospital Emergency and Trauma Centre in Dubai, UAE.
Founded in 1926 in Norway, Jotun established its presence in the Middle East in 1974 with Jotun UAE. Since then, the company has expanded dramatically throughout the region and claims to be the first paint manufacturer to be awarded the ISO 9001 certification. It has consistently invested in state-of-the-art factories including the recently-opened plant in the Al Quoz area of Dubai, which is the biggest worldwide for Jotun and the Middle East.
Jotun has been at the forefront in terms of developing paint products that are specifically formulated to suit local weather conditions, including a variety of conventional and specialised coatings that can withstand the extreme heat of the Middle East. Its diverse product range includes decorative, protective, marine, floor/concrete protection and intumescent coatings.