Sustainable Paint

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How to find ethical paint

The paint sector suffers from a number of ethical issues, from the use of harmful chemicals and petrochemicals to animal testing and the amount of consumer waste produced. 

In this guide we focus on some of the most harmful ingredients found in emulsion and gloss paints, and ask are there any viable ethical alternatives in this market?

Harmful chemicals used in paint

The main challenge for the paint industry is the phase-out of toxic chemicals. Three of the most harmful chemicals found in most paints are titanium dioxide, methylisothiazolinone and volatile organic compounds, such as formaldehyde and benzene.

1) Titanium Dioxide

It is estimated that 28% of the world’s titanium dioxide is used in paints. It is also used in many other products including paper, plastics, rubber, printing inks, ceramics, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

It is mined globally, but mostly in South Africa and Australia, from the minerals rutile and ilmenite. 

Environmental issues of such mining include pollution of ground-water resources and the release of radioactive elements. Add to this the use of heavy goods vehicles, clearing forests for mining and transport networks, and harming fragile coastal areas.

Titanium dioxide is thought to cause health problems. The European Chemicals Agency (ECA) classifies titanium dioxide as a “substance suspected of causing cancer through inhalation”. But the regulating body concluded that, having considered available scientific data, there was insufficient evidence to classify titanium dioxide in the more severe category for carcinogenicity.

Of the brands we have rated in this guide only some of AURO, Nutshell and Earthborn’s products are free from titanium dioxide. All the other paint companies use this as standard.

2) Methylisothiazolinone

Methylisothiazolinone (MI) is used as a preservative in consumer products like cosmetics and household cleaning products to extend their shelf life. It is sometimes used in paints. Though not thought to be inherently toxic, MI is a relatively common allergen and has been identified as a possible neurotoxin.

In February 2019, AURO and Farrow and Ball were both phasing out the use of MI. No other brands had information specifically on MI.

3) Volatile Organic Compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are solvents added to paints for fluidity and to make them dry quickly. They can be can be naturally occurring (such as ethanol) or can be synthesised chemically.

VOCs are mixtures of chemicals that can easily change state into gases. In the presence of sunlight, VOCs can react with oxides, which are naturally present in the atmosphere, and create greenhouse gases (which contribute to global warming) and other small particles that cause smog.

This process, known as ‘off gassing’, can occur long after the paint has dried, creating an ‘invisible paint pollution effect’ long into the future.

The World Health Organisation has found that, when painting, the levels of VOCs given off can be as much as 1000 times higher than found outdoors.

In terms of health, VOCs are not acutely toxic but can lead to long-term adverse health impacts. 

VOCs are what cause the headaches and nose or eye irritation that you’ve likely experienced whilst painting. More regular and prolonged use of paints with medium to high VOC levels can lead to more serious issues such as damage to the lungs. Paints with high VOC levels can be particularly hazardous for people with respiratory problems like asthma, as well as for children and the elderly.

In 2010 an EU directive came into force which heavily restricted the solvent (or VOC) content in paints.

The remaining brands we rated did not have information on their use of VOCs. 

Companies with minimal or no VOCs, or working towards such standards, received a better score in our Pollution & Toxics category.

Ingredients legislation

EU legislation has forced companies to be more transparent about the ingredients they use.

In 2015, paint companies were made to use a hazard labelling system in line with the Globally Harmonised System of Classification and Labelling (GHS).

Further legislation has meant that companies are required to provide safety data sheets for their products. These data sheets are usually available on brands’ websites, though companies were not rated on this.

Eco paints

Regular paints are filled with vinyl resins, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals derived from oil, acrylics, formaldehyde and ammonia, amongst other things. On the other hand, ‘eco paint’ is an umbrella term for different types of ‘natural’ paints. 

It can include paint made using clay, chalk, and natural solvents such as orange oil and balsamic turpentine from pine trees. Natural vegetable resins and oils, such as linseed and rapeseed, replace all petrochemicals.

Earthborn, Auro and Nutshell do not use petrochemicals and they all publish full ingredients lists for their paints.

As a result, these companies received an exemption in our Environmental Reporting category for providing environmental alternatives.

Earthborn additionally carries the EU Ecolabel for its indoor paints and varnishes which means its products meet criteria that guarantee: 

• Minimized content of hazardous substances
• Reduced content of volatile organic compounds

Other ‘eco’ brands worth noting are Little Greene Paints, whose paints are based on vegetable oils, and LIVOS, who use linseed oil and plant, earth and mineral pigments.

Though Lakeland Paints are free of VOCs, they use petrochemicals and synthetic pigments.

Animal ingredients

It is common for animal ingredients to be found in paints. The main one being casein, derived from cow’s milk. Casein gives paint faster-drying qualities and makes it more durable and permanent.

Some paints also contain insect ingredients such as beeswax and shellac.
 
Beeswax has protective properties for surface coatings, aiding its longevity. Shellac provides protection from pollutants and helps with permeability. Vegans, be warned!

We looked into whether the companies we rated sold paints containing animal ingredients. Lakeland Paints state that its products are completely free of animal ingredients, for which it received product sustainability and company ethos marks.

Most of Earthborn’s products are vegan except its casein paints and furniture wax. LIVOS and Auro also sell many vegan paints. The remaining companies we rated did not have information on whether they used animal ingredients.

Animal testing

Animal-tested ingredients appear to be relatively common amongst mainstream paints. Companies which had animal-tested ingredients in their products included Akzo Nobel and PPG Industries Inc. These, as well as others who failed to have an animal testing policy at all, received a worst mark.

However, smaller companies like LIVOS, Earthborn, Lakeland Paints, Nutshell and AURO explicitly stated they did not use animal-tested ingredients.

Waste and recycling

It is common for people to buy more paint than they need. An estimated 50 million litres of the 320 million litres of paint sold in the UK each year goes to waste. The last thing you should do is dispose of paint by pouring it down a drain. Rather, it can be re-used through projects like Community Re-Paint and Paint 360 (see below). 

You can also take it to a Household Recycling Centre (also known as a tip) but only around a third accept liquid paint. The ones that do will either solidify it to turn it into waste or pass it on to a re-use scheme. Only 2% of the total amount of leftover decorative paint gets reused or put back into the manufacturing process. You can find information about your nearest Household Recycling Centre through your local council.

Most paint is sold in metal tins or plastic tubs, the former of which is potentially recyclable. It should also be easy for paint tubs to be made from recycled materials but there is little evidence to suggest that this is currently the case. The only company that had appeared to invest in this was Crown Paints. Working with the Bradford-based packaging company Emballator, Crown started selling plastic paint tubs made from 100% recycled materials in August 2018.