CAP leads Africa’s sustainable building materials

Managing Director of Chemical and Allied Products Plc (CAP), Bolarin Okunowo, has called on African designers, architects, and builders to embrace smart and sustainable materials that merge aesthetics with environmental responsibility. She delivered the message during Design Week Lagos 2025, the continent’s premier platform for design and innovation.

Throughout the week-long exhibition at Livespot Entertainium, CAP Plc hosted an interactive booth showcasing its newest Dulux innovations and colour technologies. The company also engaged industry professionals in B2B sessions covering colour psychology, climate resilience, and sustainable surface preparation.

This marks CAP’s second year partnering with Design Week Lagos, reinforcing its purpose of “Creating a New Africa Inspired by Colours” and strengthening its commitment to sustainability, creativity, and innovation in Africa’s built environment.

Speaking in a keynote titled “Colour, Materials and Innovation in our Built Environment” at the Design Week Lagos (DWL) Talks, Okunowo detailed how CAP’s flagship brand, Dulux, is driving transformation across Africa through low-emission coatings, digital access tools, and colour systems tailored to African climates and cultural contexts.

 “The future of the built environment will be shaped by materials that are not only beautiful, but also smart, efficient, and sustainable. At CAP Plc, we believe sustainability is the foundation for designing spaces that inspire and endure,” Okunowo said.

She highlighted CAP’s continued investments in low-VOC coatings designed to improve indoor air quality and align with global green-building standards. She also showcased the Dulux Tint-Base System, launched in 2022, which gives customers instant access to thousands of colours nationwide.

Okunowo further spotlighted Caplux, CAP’s surface-preparation range, stressing that premium finishes start beneath the surface.

 “The true colour on the surface is ultimately a function of what happens below the surface,” she noted, emphasising that well-prepared substrates are essential for long-lasting finishes—a technical capability that Caplux brings to every project.

Reinforcing CAP’s innovation journey, Okunowo unveiled the upgraded Dulux e-commerce platform, a digital solution that streamlines colour selection and paint purchases for users across Nigeria. The platform enables professionals and homeowners to browse, choose, and order Dulux products seamlessly—bringing trusted quality directly to their doorsteps.

 “Sustainability is not just about what we build, but how we empower others to build responsibly. Through innovation and digital access, we are making sustainable design solutions more inclusive and accessible across Africa,” she added.

Beyond sustainability, Okunowo underscored the transformative power of colour.

 “Colour shapes experiences, influences emotion and productivity, and expresses identity. At Dulux, we have spent decades studying how colour interacts with light, culture, and climate to help customers express who they are.”