“Greenwashing Your Car”

Greenwashing A form of spin in which green PR or green marketing is deceptively used to promote the perception that a company’s policies or products are environmentally friendly. -Wikipedia

Global warming is a hot topic and business is looking to profit from it. It seems every industry is trying to capitalize on “going green.” The automotive industry is no exception.

New York State will soon mandate autobody shops use only Waterborne paint when refinishing. Sounds good! Right? Whether or not you’re a “Warmer” (global warming is happening), or a skeptic, (global warming isn’t happening), it’s hard to disagree that reducing the amount of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) in the atmosphere is a good thing.

I thought it would be fun to look closer at how the changeover to Waterborne painting may be more a marketing ploy then humanities selfless urge to save the planet.

Currently, the paint on your car is a Two-Stage paint. This means that there is a “base coat,” which is the color, and a “clear coat” that goes over it to give it a glossy look.