American Coatings Association

The American Coatings Association (ACA) is a voluntary, nonprofit trade association working to advance the needs of the paint and coatings industry and the professionals who work in it, including: manufacturers, raw materials suppliers, distributors, and technical professionals. ACA serves as an advocate and ally for members on legislative, regulatory and judicial issues, and provides forums for the advancement and promotion of the industry through educational and professional development services.

ADVOCACY
ACA pursues policies that seek to improve the standing and reputation of the coatings industry, and serves as an effective advocate and voice on legislative, regulatory and judicial issues at the federal state and local levels.

POLICY PRIORITIES
ACA is the voice of industry on matters relating to environmental regulations, occupational health and safety, and policy issues germane to the industry’s products. The following presents an overview of ACA’s Policy Priorities.

Infrastructure
Our 21st century society depends upon a sophisticated infrastructure, including a maze of highways, bridges, roads, airports, ports, tunnels, technology corridors, communications systems and much more. Upon these structures, we live, work, play, travel, raise families and grow old. To maintain these systems and continue to develop the systems necessary to support future innovations in infrastructure and technology, appropriate policies must be developed and implemented. Coatings that provide durability, corrosion protection, reflectivity and many other performance characteristics will be key materials in these endeavors. ACA works to aid policy development that will allow coatings to remain key materials in infrastructure.

Environment
The air we breathe and the water that sustains all life forms should be protected and should not form an unreasonable risk to living beings and systems. Environmental regulations such as air emissions standards, water quality criteria and chemicals management requirements play a significant role in protecting our air and water. In addition to these important goals, these regulations can assist in establishing a level playing field for manufacturers of paints and coatings.

ACA and the coatings industry work extensively with environmental agencies to develop reasonable regulations with which manufacturers can comply and continue to manufacture products that perform. Our goal is to ensure that environmental agencies have as much data about our industry and the specific coatings at issue to make reasonable, scientifically sound and effective policy.

Product Safety
Communicating with employees, customers and consumers is an important element for a successful industry. This communication takes many different forms. One of the most prominent methods of communication for the coatings industry is the label on our product or the safety data sheet for occupational settings, which, in some cases, accompanies products. These efforts take on gigantic proportions, many different disciplines and significant internal resources.

Working with the many agencies at the federal and state levels that address these communications is a priority for our industry. We endeavor to be responsive and clear about the safe use and handling of our products and are constantly working to achieve this goal.

Trade
The U.S. paint and coatings industry is a modern, globally competitive industry that supports a substantial number of high-paying jobs in the United States, many of which are supported by exports, valued at $2.2 billion in 2020. Some 71 percent of that was to Canada and Mexico; and our industry’s annual trade with China accounts for the third largest market for the coatings industry, underscoring the importance of trade to the coatings industry.

Opening markets and establishing free trade agreements that protect U.S. manufacturers from deceptive and unfair practices is a priority for ACA. The coatings industry supports free trade, bilateral or multilateral agreements that provide clear instructions for dispute settlement, rules of origin determinations, digital trade, regulatory transparency and tariff-free transactions.

Security
Employees at coatings facilities are some of the most valuable resources in the industry. Some of these facilities may use raw materials that could be of interest to nefarious individuals intent on disturbing our communities, our industry or specific entities. ACA believes that security policies and regulations must focus on the specific risk presented by the facility’s environment and the chemicals that could be targeted. ACA and the coatings industry work with relevant agencies in understanding our facility processes, manufacturing practices, and the raw materials used to make high-performing products in order to ensure safety and security for members of the industry, its employees, and surrounding communities.

Post-Consumer Paint Management
Leftover paint is the number one product collected at household hazardous waste events in the United States. Yet, much of this leftover paint product is viable and should not be treated as a waste. As a trailblazer in industry product stewardship, ACA created PaintCare — the industry-led end-of-life management program for post-consumer paint. ACA’s endeavors to pass legislation requiring the establishment of paint stewardship programs at the state level is an on-going activity that is supported by the coatings industry. To date, laws mandating ACA’s post-consumer paint management PaintCare program have been enacted in California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maine, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

Paint stewardship, as proffered by ACA and the coatings industry, requires the establishment of a network of drop-off sites at municipal locations and retail outlets that sell paint in order to maximize convenience to consumers. Collected leftover paint is then transported to processors and a significant portion of the collected material is diverted from landfills. Since October of 2009, over 46 million gallons of architectural paint have been collected by PaintCare and much of this has been re-used, recycled or used for energy recovery. How cool is that?

ABOUT ACA MEMBERSHIP

ACA membership is offered for three broad categories:

♦ Corporate Companies whose employees receive all of the exclusive benefits of corporate membership at no additional cost

♦ Coatings Professionals in the paint and coatings industry, who are not employed by ACA Corporate member companies

♦ Educators & Students affiliated with University Coatings Programs

ACA CORPORATE MEMBERSHIP OFFERS MANIFOLD BENEFITS
Membership in the American Coatings Association (ACA) offers an unparalleled opportunity to join the premier paint and coatings industry organization. ACA’s members produce over 90 percent of the total national volume of coatings produced in the United States, and the association is unique in that it represents the industry’s entire supply chain, as well as those engaged in all aspects of the paint and coatings industry.

FULL BENEFITS ACCESS

Employees of ACA Corporate member companies receive ALL the exclusive benefits of corporate membership at no additional cost. The sampling below highlights some of those benefits:

Advocacy
ACA advocates on legislative, regulatory, and judicial issues affecting the industry in the following areas: Chemicals Management, Air Quality, Product Stewardship, Waste Management, Occupational Health & Safety, Sustainability, Labeling, Waste Management, Infrastructure, and Trade.

Committee Participation
ACA has 18 focused industry sector or issue management groups. ACA Committees address industry challenges and initiatives to enhance the industry’s standing and success, while providing direction for the industry on matters related to policy and strategy.

Program Access
ACA members have access to the following programs and affiliates: State Affairs Network, PaintCare, Safety Awards Program, World Coatings Council, COATINGSVOICE, Graffiti Resource Council.

Resources & Publications
ACA provides a wealth of regulatory, government policy and business news, and science and technology innovations, including: Paint Industry Labeling Guide, Coatings Today, CoatingsTech Magazine, Journal of Coatings Technology and Research, Guide to Training Employees in Hazmat Transportation, Paint & Coatings Buyers’ Guide.

Staff Experts
ACA staff experts provide guidance in the following areas: Government Affairs, Environmental Health & Safety, Product Stewardship, International Matters, Sustainability, Communications.

Webinar Series
ACA’s member webinar series is exclusively curated to align with areas of industry interest and impact, such as: Green Marketing Claims, Supply Chain, Manufacturing Processing, TSCA Implementation, Chemical Safety, Advanced Technology, Federal and State Legislation.

Market & Economic Data
ACA provides valuable market and economic data, including: Quarterly Industry Reports for Architectural and Industrial Coatings, Monthly Paint Producer Price Index, Global Market Analysis for the Paint & Coatings Industry, Company Performance Survey.

Events & Conferences
ACA hosts numerous events and conferences that showcase industry products, innovative science and technologies, and offer unparalleled opportunities for networking, including: American Coatings Show & Conference, Coatings Summit, CoatingsTech Conference, Committee Conferences.

CONTACT ACA:
Address:
AMERICAN COATINGS ASSOCIATION
901 NEW YORK AVENUE NW, SUITE 300 WEST
WASHINGTON, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 462-6272