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Eco-friendly Paints

It’s amazing that in 2020 with all developments in the environmental movement that the big household paint manufacturers are still not offering bona fide eco-friendly paints. It’s a real minefield when you begin to look into the ingredients of most paints labelled as ‘eco- friendly’ or having low VOC’s levels (Volatile organic compounds). Even though these levels may have been reduced they still have all sorts of nasty constituents like VOC’s, formaldehyde, ammonium, heavy metals and titanium dioxide. Worse still, to achieve the low VOC standards and still produce a paint which can achieve a professional finish with fast drying times, many manufacturers are piling in tons of horrible new additives to the their new technology paints!

The time has come for ‘me’ as your painter and decorator to take the initiative and spread the awareness to my customers regarding the use of toxic paints. Regular household paints can pollute the family home for up to 2 years with their harmful chemicals, aggravating allergies, asthma and causing headaches and drowsiness.

I have created a resource of information here with links to interesting articles. It’s so important to share this information with my customers as these paints are creating a risk to both my health in applying them and that of the families & especially children through inhaling paint fumes, and I don’t want to be an advocate for these paints.

The Artisan Painter loves to use highly breathable and 100% eco-friendly paints like earthborn clay paints, Lakeside Paints (Ecos), and Agilia. Bailey Paints in Stroud is a great stockist for ordering eco paints, but also most eco-friendly paints can be easily ordered online. The regular big names like Dulux have begun to cotton on with reducing their VOC levels and recently bringing out Dulux Ecosure paints, whilst Farrow & Ball claim to be child friendly and ecological, but be careful as they most often aren’t upon a closer look at the ingredients.

You may be concerned about an increase in the paint costs, but eco paints are actually very competitively priced (around the same price as premium paints), especially when considering the natural ingredients they contain and the companies’ commitment to every aspect of the paint production, manufacturing and packaging. Here are some of the key advantages of using eco paints…

Lets work together and get these nasty paints out of the industry and our homes, if we don’t support them they won’t sell them!

Low VOC Content

VOC or Volatile Organic Compounds is present in most commercial paint brands. VOC can be dangerous because the chemical waste that it leaves behind is both non-biodegradable and non-recyclable. On the other hand, eco-friendly paints contain no or just trace amounts of it, which has a significantly lower impact in damaging the environment.

Lower Health Risk

VOC’s have also been known to pose a serious health risk to people. Studies have shown that people continuously exposed to VOC in paints are more prone to lung cancer and other pulmonary diseases. Eco friendly paints, in contrast, do not have unsafe emissions that can have a negative impact on one’s health.

Cost Efficient

While the price of eco paints may turn some people off initially, in the long run it can actually be more cost efficient to use them instead of more conventional paints. After all, overexposure to VOCs in paint can send you to an unexpected trip to the hospital because of health-related concerns. In addition, the general quality of eco paint is more superior to its chemical counterparts. It has been proven to have greater color retention, viscosity, abrasion resistance and paint coverage.

Made from Natural Materials

Eco paint is made from natural materials that are both friendly to the environment and non-toxic. Common eco paint components include plant extracts like lemon peels, seed oil bee wax and many others. Because of their natural makeup, they do not have harmful emissions during their manufacturing, as well as when using them.

Less Negative Impact on the Environment

The non-toxic nature of eco paint gives it a naturally earth friendly appeal. Chemical-based paints contain harmful components, such as naphthalene, benzene and toluene, which can cause damage the environment as well as people’s health. It also produces less waste and doesn’t increase the size of your carbon footprint at the same time.

When considering which type of paint to use, eco-friendly paint is definitely the smarter choice.

Article originally posted on The Supreme Painting webstie, published Jan 18th, 2016.

Eco Paint links and articles

Below is a growing resource of links and articles about eco paints, paint companies, and the pros and cons of using environmentally friendly paints:

Brilliant article on The Ecologist website called Behind the label about the harmful effects of standard household paints.
Feb 2006 by Pat Thomas

Fantastic article about the truth of eco friendly paints on the Decorators Notebook Blog.
Oct 15, 2014 by Bethan John

Why use eco paints and the pros and cons? An article by Blue Sky Ecological Decor in London.
Nov 2002 by Chris Jenkins

Great article in the Guardian – A guide to eco and natural paints. Eco paints are improving all the time. A guide to an inexpensive, ethical way to spruce up your home.
Feb 2009 by Katherine Sorrell

Lakeland Paints (previously Ecos Paints). After 6 years of product development, Ian West and John Ashworth created the world’s first complete range of odourless, solvent free, non-toxic decorative paints. Launched in 1989, to this day they stay true to their promise. All of their organic paints and varnishes are hand crafted and colour matched at their factory in the Lune Valley, North Lancashire.

Earthborn is a specialist supplier of breathable paint, including claypaint, wood stains, and assorted glazes and finishes.

Aglaia have been manufacturing paints for over 40 years using only natural ingredients. These high performance products are based on traditional formulations that have been further developed to minimise the impact on the environment, and to have no adverse impact on our health and allow buildings to breathe more easily.

Auro make petrochemical free paints using natural raw materials from environmentally managed sources and produced using a sustainable ecological cycle. Their gloss paint is the ‘Ethical Consumer’s’ best buy.

Biofa make wall emulsions and gloss paints, stains, varnishes and cleaners, made from sustainable, natural raw materials.

Little Greene minimise their Ecological Impact without compromising on high quality standards. Their paints are manufactured in the UK.

Nutshell Paints are a healthy, non-toxic alternative to conventional paint products. Their emulsions are allergy-free with no toxic fumes and are completely free of vinyl resins and harmful petrochemical solvents.

Further interesting articles:

Interesting article by Eco Friend about the Benefits of using eco paints. ‘Eco friendly paints always score over the traditional paints that use a great deal of chemical components. Some of the primary ill-effects of these chemical based paints are burning eyes, nose and throat, irritated skin, minor skin burns, headaches, and dizziness.’ Jan 2011

Eco and Green Paints and what to look for when buying paints to be sustainable. Great article by the DIY Doctor – the home improvement hub. Feb 2010

Edward Bulmer – They use renewable raw materials to create the lowest possible carbon footprint and adopt the highest standard of ethical trading.