A Chat with Rob Abrahams and Rob Green, Co-Founders at Climate Positive Paint Company: COAT

COAT is the first B Corp certified paint company in the UK – building on our credentials as Carbon Negative, through clever innovations in how we make, and sell, paint. Appealing to a new generation of conscious decorators, we’ve reimagined the painting experience – from inspiration and advice, through to choosing and buying paint through a DTC approach.

As a DTC brand, COAT is built on community – inspiring a generation of homeowners to transform their homes in an environmentally conscious way.

The process. Order Peel & Stick swatches from 70 shades (not 70,000…!) and easily try them out at home. Then order luxury eco-paint and paint supplies delivered to home the next day.

All COAT paints are 100% water-based, low-toxin and uniquely made to order with our zero-waste production model.
 
 

 

How did you come up with the idea for the company?

 
Rob G (co-founder) and I both did up houses in our 30’s, and it became a running joke how long we spent in DIY stores. Buying tester pots, stressing over colours, going back numerous times to buy paint….incredibly time consuming, and wasteful.

At COAT we’ve created a modern luxury brand that answers a consumer problem from our own experience – as we knew that the paint industry wasn’t positioned to solve it. We also saw a real brand gap in the “modern luxury” interiors space, which screamed out for a deeply eco-conscious approach.

We’re the only paint company to operate an exclusively ‘made to order’ model, because most waste in our industry is generated by overproduction. We uniquely offer a 360-degree recycle scheme, where customers can return empty tins or spare paint for 100% reprocessing. That’s our goal of zero to landfill, and a truly circular approach in a space that badly needs it.
 

 

How has the company evolved over the last couple of years?

 
COAT has just turned two and it’s been a whirlwind! Rob G and I started the company from a small rented unit in Surrey. The two of us did everything from brand creation, website build, to hand-painting tester swatches and mixing every tin of paint by hand.

It was tough and at the height of Covid, so trying to set up supply chains, lock-down suppliers, and even ship product was hard. Getting attention and support from the wider industry was also a tough nut to crack.

Today, we have over 100,000 customers, and the COAT brand lives as a sustainable challenger. We’ve found our lane, and we’re growing in triple digits.
 

What can we hope to see from COAT in the future?

 
We’ve built a brand that resonates with the modern tastemaker, and amazing paint products that get rave reviews. Now, there’s even more room to stay ahead of the game in digital. Guided AI-driven colour advice, AR colour visualisation, and we’re looking at how COAT can allow people to create their own bespoke colours – and name them too!

We’ve just launched in France, the first of our European expansion. We’ve employed the same agile production tech in Belgium to service northern European markets.