CEPE

What CEPE does

CEPE (the European Council of the Paint, Printing Ink and Artists' Colours Industry) is a non-profit international association established in 1951 under Belgian law (aisbl) and headquartered in Brussels at Boulevard du Triomphe 172. It is the sole trade association representing the European coatings sector at EU level, serving approximately 800 member companies through a network of more than 20 national associations covering EU member states, Norway, Switzerland, and the UK. Member companies are estimated to account for roughly 85% of the European market value, with combined annual turnover of approximately €17 billion.

CEPE's core offerings center on regulatory advocacy and industry representation rather than proprietary technology products. Its primary technical asset is the CEPE Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) Database covering 323 raw materials for environmental impact assessments, available in GaBi, SimaPro and Excel formats, developed in partnership with Ecoinvent, GreenDelta, and Ecomatters. The association publishes position papers on regulatory topics including REACH, CLP, microplastics, biocides, TiO2 classification, isocyanates, and food contact; runs approximately 40 working groups covering Health & Safety, Environment, Transport, Sustainability, and Standards; and operates a members-only cloud portal at cloud.cepe.org. It runs consumer-facing campaigns including #paintgivesyou, #CoatingsNeedPreservatives, and the "Unleash the Powder" powder coatings initiative, and convenes an annual conference rotating across European cities (Copenhagen 2025, Antwerp 2026). The association operates two core operating divisions: EuPIA (European Printing Ink Association, founded 2003) and EuACA (European Artists' Colours Association).

CEPE generates revenue through membership fees from direct company members, associated national associations, and affiliated/supplier members. The association has a small secretariat of approximately 1-10 direct employees and operates as the unified industry voice in regulatory engagement with EU institutions (European Commission, Parliament, ECHA) and at UN level through membership in the World Coatings Council. Strategic alliances include co-founding DUCC (Downstream Users of Chemicals Co-ordination Group) for REACH/CLP representation, affiliation with Cefic (the European Chemical Industry Council), and participation in the International Maritime Organisation's Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers for IMDG Code development. Leadership is provided by Managing Director Christel Davidson, supported by directors for Technical and Regulatory Affairs, EuPIA, Communications and Statistics, Sustainability, Public Affairs, and Regulatory Affairs management.

Name

CEPE

Legal name

The European Council of the Paint, Printing Ink and Artist's Colours Industry (CEPE)

Website

https://cepe.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CEPE is the sole European trade association for the paint, printing ink, and artists' colours industry, representing approximately 800 member companies accounting for 85% of European market value through regulatory advocacy, sustainability data, and industry working groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Auderghem

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: CEPE generates revenue through membership fees from direct company members, associated national associations, affiliated members, and suppliers across the European coatings industry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CEPE is the European trade association for the paint, printing ink, and artist colours industry, providing industry representation, regulatory advocacy, and policy engagement to approximately 800 member companies across Europe. It delivers services through approximately 40 working groups covering health and safety, environment, transport, sustainability, and standards, while maintaining the CEPE LCI Database with life cycle inventory data for 323 raw materials and publishing regulatory position papers and sustainability documents. The association operates members-only resources, sector screening studies, and consumer awareness campaigns for the coatings sector.

Product overview

CEPE (The European Council of the Paint, Printing Ink, and Artist's Colours Industry) is a trade association, not a software product company. Its offerings consist of industry advocacy services, a Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) database with 323 raw material datasets available in GaBi, SimaPro and Excel formats, publications and position papers on regulatory matters (REACH, CLP, microplastics), an Ecofootprint calculation tool (currently under redevelopment), sector-specific screening studies, approximately 40 working groups addressing EU policy topics, and consumer awareness campaigns including #paintgivesyou and #CoatingsNeedPreservatives. The association also operates a members-only cloud portal and organizes annual conferences. CEPE does not offer a public API or software product integrations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CEPE LCI Database Life Cycle Inventory database covering 323 raw materials used in the coatings industry, providing European averaged life cycle information for environmental impact assessments. Available in GaBi, SimaPro, and Excel formats. Developed in collaboration with Ecoinvent and intended for use by paint manufacturers and sustainability professionals.
• CEPE Publications & Position Papers Collection of regulatory position papers, sustainability documents, annual reports (2014-2024), and industry publications covering topics including REACH revision, CLP revision, microplastics, and TiO2 classification. Targeted at CEPE members and the coatings industry.
• CEPE Annual Conference Annual conference hosting CEPE members and industry stakeholders, with registrations managed through the Guestoo platform. The 2025 conference was held in Copenhagen, and the 2026 conference is planned for Antwerp.
• CEPE Members Area (Cloud Portal) Restricted online portal at cloud.cepe.org providing CEPE members with access to meeting documents, working group materials, and exclusive content for member companies and national associations.
• Ecofootprint Tool Online calculation tool using the CEPE LCI database to calculate environmental impacts of paints. Currently disabled and under redevelopment with software vendors. Targeted at sustainability professionals in the paint industry.
• CEPE Sustainability Charter & Documents Resources including the CEPE Sustainability Charter covering principles on people, planet, and prosperity, along with guidance on environmental claims and a sustainability glossary for the coatings sector.
• Sectorial Screening Studies Screening studies on specific coating applications including powder coating protection of aluminium window frames, protective coatings on steel bridges, and coated steel building panels. Provided to members for sustainability assessment purposes.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EuPIA (European Printing Ink Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003EuPIA is a division of CEPE founded in 2003 and represents the interests of European manufacturers of printing inks and related products. It operates under the CEPE umbrella working on regulatory issues facing the printing ink industry.
• EuACA (European Artists' Colours Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuACA works under the CEPE umbrella on the most important regulatory issues facing the artists' colours industry and enhances the image and credibility of the Artists' Colours sector.
• World Coatings Council (WCC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEPE is a member of the World Coatings Council, which operates at United Nations level through the Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, and at the International Maritime Organisation's Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers.
• DUCC (Downstream Users of Chemicals Co-ordination Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEPE co-founded DUCC to address specific concerns of downstream users from the chemical industry under REACH and CLP regulations.
• Cefic (European Chemical Industry Council)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEPE is an affiliated member of Cefic, the European Chemical Industry Council.
• International Maritime Organisation (IMO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEPE participates in IMO's Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers for IMDG Code development related to dangerous goods transport.
• EcoinventcoreTechnology or IntegrationEcoinvent collaborated with CEPE on the LCI database project, providing access to the database through Ecoinvent licensing version 2 or above.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cefic (European Chemical Industry Council): The broader European chemical-industry trade association of which CEPE is an affiliated member. Cefic operates at the same EU policy level but across the full chemicals value chain, making it a broader-incumbent peer rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• World Coatings Council: The international council of national/regional coatings associations of which CEPE is itself a member. It operates at the UN level (Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods) and IMO, and its peers share CEPE's cross-border regulatory remit.
• British Coatings Federation: The UK coatings trade association and a national association within CEPE's own network. BCF delivers advocacy, technical guidance and member services to UK paint, ink and printing manufacturers on the same subject matter CEPE addresses at EU level.
• American Coatings Association: The US national trade association for paint and coatings manufacturers, closely analogous to CEPE at a national/regional level: both represent coatings manufacturers before regulators, run technical working groups, and publish industry positions on chemicals, sustainability and product safety.
• Fédération des Industries des Peintures, Encres et Couleurs (FIPEC): The French national trade association for the paints, inks and artists' colours industry, a direct CEPE network member delivering parallel advocacy and technical services for the French sector.
• Verband der deutschen Lack- und Druckfarbenindustrie (VdL): The German paint, coatings and printing inks industry association, a national member of CEPE's network. It performs the same industry-representation, technical and lobbying functions for Germany that CEPE performs at European level.

Others

• GreenDelta: Provider of the openLCA software and partner on CEPE's EF-compliant "Chemicals for Paints" database project. An ecosystem technology partner that enables CEPE's sustainability data infrastructure.
• Ecoinvent: The Swiss non-profit provider of the Ecoinvent LCI database, which CEPE partnered with to distribute the CEPE LCI database (Ecoinvent licensing v2+). An ecosystem/technology enabler rather than a competing association.

Regional players

• Canadian Paint and Coatings Association (CPCA): The Canadian national association representing paints, coatings and printing inks manufacturers, providing the same membership, advocacy and technical services as CEPE but for the Canadian market.
• Japan Paint Manufacturers Association (JPMA): The national trade body for Japan's coatings industry, a regional peer operating in a different geography but with the same mandate: industry advocacy, technical guidance, and sustainability/LCA initiatives for paint manufacturers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cepe-european-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CEPE