Today we are with Alessandro Silvestri, the CEO of Keim, a German company that produces very special paints from the point of view of environmental protection. Alessandro, can you tell us about the origins of this ancient company?

Keim is a company that has been around for over 145 years. It all began with the then King of Bavaria, Ludwig I, a great art enthusiast. At that time in Bavaria, they used to decorate the facades of palaces. But there was a problem: they only used lime paint, and due to atmospheric conditions, these decorations did not last. After a few years, the lime would degrade, and they tended to disappear.

During one of his trips to Italy, the King of Bavaria discovered that there were decorations that had been perfectly preserved over the centuries. Upon his return to Germany, he commissioned German artists and researchers to find a paint that could last over time. Among these researchers, a gentleman named Adolf Keim, who worked in the glass industry, discovered a binder made of fused potassium liquid silicate, which, when mixed with mineral oxide pigments, formed a very resistant paint. This is how the first potassium liquid silicate two-component paint was born. We are in 1878: Mr. Keim founded the company and obtained the first Imperial patent for mineral silicate paints. Initially, in the first 30 years of its history, Keim only worked with decorators in an artistic direction, because it was born precisely from the need to produce decorations of family crests that would last over time.

How was the subsequent evolution? Now we talk about Keim photocatalytic paint. What is the difference?

The difference is essentially not very much. Keim, since its origins in 1878, has always been an ecological paint, because its components have always been biological products. As for Keim photocatalytic paints, it is an evolution of the exact same product invented 145 years ago, added with a titanium dioxide called anatase. This titanium dioxide is activated by light, triggering an oxidation-reduction process that transforms all pollutants into salts, invisible to the human eye and completely harmless. It is actually a very simple process, which did not require us to invent much: the products have always been natural and biological, we have only added titanium dioxide, which works a bit like chlorophyll photosynthesis: it is perpetually active, it does not wear out, and as long as there is light, photocatalysis works.

What types of harmful substances can Keim photocatalytic paint break down?

Keim photocatalytic paint breaks down everything that is organic matter, so exhaust fumes from cars, formaldehyde… everything that is organic is broken down. There are other families of paints that use this technology, but most of the time they are bound with organic materials, and these materials tend to degrade and dust after 2-3 years, because being organic in nature, titanium dioxide and light go to decompose the paint itself. Instead, this paint does not, because its binder is mineral and not organic. The photocatalytic paint is also active on molds, viruses, and bacteria, as these are organic elements. It is a very alkaline mineral paint, just like lime, which was once used to disinfect environments. Mold proliferates with humidity and if it has substances to feed on: it often feeds on cellulose, which is an organic substance, and which is a substance present in common wall paints. But not in Keim photocatalytic paint, which does not contain any type of organic additives. All of this is proven by various certifications.

Speaking of certifications: what are your main international certifications?

We are also pioneers at the international level: we obtained our first certification in 1999. It is the certification for people with allergies. Now we also have the Nature Plus certification, the EPD certification, but above all the most current and most important certification, the Cradle to Cradle. The principle of this latter certifying body does not only concern the fact of producing biological products; this is something that is quite simple at the moment. But in addition, this certifying body asks me to demonstrate how I produce this bio paint: how much water I consume, if the water I use is recyclable, if the energy I use to produce the materials comes from photovoltaic systems, if the employees have a suitable work environment that makes them feel good… In short, it is no longer enough for a product to be bio, but it is necessary to demonstrate its sustainability. For this reason, it is also necessary to demonstrate how the raw materials arrive; because if I produce a bio paint, but to do so I use means that travel 1000 km emitting a lot of CO2, I do good on one hand, but less good on the other.

How has this company managed to maintain its link with its origins, therefore with a paint that was dedicated to art? Are you setting up or encouraging projects that involve mural painting at an artistic level?

If we still exist after 145 years, we owe it to Keim’s philosophy. The company has never been taken over by the anguish of increasing turnover, because it has made a choice. We are the only paint manufacturer that produces only one family of paints, namely silicate paints. We are specialists, while all our competitors are generalist producers, who produce all kinds of paints. We hold on tight to our origins and our traditions, and we will never let them go. For this reason, we are very present in the artistic sector: we restore old frescoes made with lime, which are now taken up again with mineral silicate paints, because they have a much longer durability. We carry out important restorations in the ecclesiastical field, because the Superintendencies often require the use of traditional, but durable materials. In the meantime, the world of construction has changed, it has evolved, and we have transferred our knowledge and our philosophy to the so-called modern products as well. For example, we can intervene with photocatalytic paints on industrial buildings, reducing bad odors and improving air quality. Moreover, our paints, being of mineral origin, are guaranteed for 20 years without alteration of colors: and being sustainable means first of all using materials that have long durability, because the less I paint, the less water I consume, and less electricity I consume. So the best thing is that my facade, or the inside of my apartment, lasts as long as possible. If I paint inside every 10 years, and outside every 20 years, I consume less.

This year you are collaborating with the new festival IL CANTO DELLA TERRA | SONGOF THE EARTH, and you are supporting the production of some works of art. I know you have other projects in this area.

We are very present in the field of artists who make murals. For example, we recently carried out a large intervention in Catania, where a mural was made by a Roman artist, sponsored with public funds, to redevelop a neighborhood, the headquarters of the Bank of Italy in Catania, which was rather degraded, with the philosophy of using sustainable products. We supported an Australian artist who has just finished a large mural work at the Granai del Porto di Bari, and we are in close contact with restorers who collaborate with the Superintendencies. And this last area is precisely the origin of our history: restoration, decoration are our origins. And this is an area that will never end, because in Italy we have an infinite number of cultural heritage to restore.

The festival IL CANTO DELLA TERRA |SONG OF THE EARTH relies a lot on the collaboration with your company, also for the next year, with a large mural that… well, let’s just say it but we won’t say much more, because we want it to be a surprise…

We are available. We believe in this project, and we have decided to support you. We wish you all the best and much success!