Holland Colours is a Netherlands-based manufacturer of solid and liquid colorants, masterbatches, and additives for coloring rigid and flexible PVC for the building and construction markets, PET packaging, coatings and sealants. Founded in 1979, it operates across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
You’ve previously said, ‘If the world were transparent or colourless, it would be boring’. Where might the average person come across your products in the end applications?
You don’t actually see us because we produce colourants and additives for various applications, working behind the scenes like much of the chemical industry. Rather than performing chemical synthesis, we purchase raw materials and create formulations that integrate seamlessly into our customers' processes. Our focus is on three core segments: building and construction, PET packaging—particularly polymer-based products—and coatings and sealants. Coatings and sealants differ slightly as they involve liquid applications, whereas the first two primarily work with solids. Our colourants are added during extrusion, moulding or mixed into paints, ensuring smooth integration into customer workflows.
Success in our industry requires focus. While we have an "other" category, it remains small, though slightly larger in Asia. Industry demands are becoming increasingly complex and fast-moving, requiring thought leadership. We operate as a niche player in the colourants and masterbatch industry, offering high-service, specialised solutions rather than high-volume commodity products.
Can you share an example of a project where you've co-designed a product with a client to meet specific requirements?
A great example is our HolcoBatch product, a fine colourant. Traditional masterbatches are thicker plastic pieces containing a polymer, such as polyethylene, and a colourant. These are added to production processes. In contrast, our highly loaded, fine masterbatch is used in PVC extrusion for window profiles or piping. It prevents dusting in production areas and allows for precise, efficient dosing. This product, which was invented 40 years ago, is also highly sustainable—its carrier system is a natural wax derived from a seed grown in India and other warm climate countries.
Innovation is central. We have clear programs for improving efficiency and growing in key segments. Factory of the Future is our 2025 global campaign, aligned with our growth initiatives, company vision, and sustainability goals. Built on insights from our extensive network and market research, it explores technological advancements, product and process innovations, and ESG priorities shaping our key markets. Additionally, we are focused on strengthening our position in the circular economy, particularly in additives for recycling and renewable materials. We have invested in new initiatives, such as our collaboration with Cure Technology and the University of Utrecht, to explore ways to reuse pigment waste from the recycling process. We are also launching Revive Colours, a company focused on bio-based pigments derived from agricultural waste, such as corn. This is a tangible development—we already have samples and interest from major brands.
Your sustainability goal is for 90% of your products to be sustainable by 2030. How is that progressing?
The industry we operate in is quite conservative, so change happens gradually. However, there is increasing interest in sustainable solutions. In packaging, for instance, recycling is becoming more prominent as companies move away from virgin materials. The value chain is becoming more circular. Regulations are pushing companies to use more recycled PET instead of virgin PET. This shift requires new solutions, such as additives that make the recycling process more efficient and ensure that PET can be recycled multiple times—up to 12 times or more. Without these additives, recycled PET becomes brittle and weak.
We set this target a few years ago, and we are currently at 44%.
Sustainability is measurable—our definition is that our products must have a lower CO2 footprint than competitors' equivalents. Reaching 90% will be a challenge. We are not revising our goal downward, unlike some companies, but achieving it depends not just on innovation but also on customer demand. At the end of the day, we are running a business, not a grant-funded initiative.
On the surface, there appears to have been a substantial cultural shift in terms of society and individuals’ recycling habits. Is that translating into real progress?
It's an ongoing process. While consumer recycling habits have improved, the sorting and separation processes are not as efficient as many people assume. The industry is still learning how to scale recycling in a sustainable and cost-effective way.
One challenge is that virgin PET is still being offered at very low prices, making it more attractive than recycled PET. Additionally, there has been a significant buildup of recycled PET capacity in the Far East, which is being exported to the Western world at low costs. This makes it difficult for Western recycling companies to compete. However, as demand increases, the market will stabilize.
You’ve recently explored opportunities in the Asia-Pacific. Are there other markets you’re targeting for growth in the next two to five years?
Asia-Pacific remains a key area of interest. We recently conducted a market study with an external consultant to better understand the region’s dynamics. The potential is clear, but timing is crucial—we don’t want to move too quickly while uncertainty remains, but we also can’t afford to be too late. We have the necessary technology, but before investing in production lines, we want more clarity on market conditions. Expansion will happen, but we are waiting for the right moment.
We have a growth strategy aimed at outpacing market expansion. You can see in our annual report that one of our goals is to grow faster than the market. We are currently debottlenecking manufacturing in Europe and North America. Demand is expected to grow faster than our current capacity can support in a couple of years, so we are also planning investments accordingly.
