As a sector, we are constantly called upon to become more sustainable in all aspects of a build, and professionals have many variables to consider in an often complex landscape. The journey miles undertaken in a product’s manufacture, the origin and extraction method of renewable resources used and the recyclable content of the packaging, all affect a product’s – and ultimately a building’s – sustainability credentials and most are left asking how they can specify and use a genuinely sustainable product.

Weighing it up
The environmental impact of any decorating activity or product choice can be assessed on two basic levels. The first is the challenge of climate change, which the VOC (volatile organic compounds) 2010 legislation is addressing. The second is leaving a planet on which we and future generations can live, as we’re in real danger of running out of essential raw materials and space to bury our waste.

There are obvious environmental implications in undertaking a job, and it is up to manufacturers to develop products and services to minimise that impact, and make the life of the architect, contractor, builder or developer as easy – and green – as possible.

When it comes to paint, the product itself does have strong sustainability credentials, as paint prolongs the life of a substrate and thereby reduces the environmental cost of replacement.

Also, it usually only contributes to 2% of the environmental bearing of a building.

Having said that, it is still crucial to minimise the impact of paint and its packaging on the environment wherever possible, and there are ways of limiting the effects of any painting project by choosing the right products and gaining added value support.

So what can be done to diminish the environmental impact of an interior or exterior painting job? Firstly, choose more durable options that will lower the environmental footprint over the lifetime of the building. Secondly, use waterbased paint and look for evidence of reduced carbon. It is also important to check the opacity and performance of the products being used, because if it is necessary to re-apply to get the desired result, there will be more embodied carbon in the finished job, thereby undermining your efforts. Ultimately, look at the company behind your chosen product and ensure their environmental policy stands up to scrutiny.

Using water-based as opposed to solvent-based products is a great place to start when looking to reduce the carbon footprint of a paint job. The technology is now in place to produce water-based paints that offer the same levels of performance and durability as their solvent-based counterparts.

The bigger picture
With a desire to look even wider than conventional water-based paints, Dulux Trade has also been working with the Department of Trade and Industry and a leading sustainable development charity, Forum for the Future, to produce Ecosure – its most environmentally sustainable range of paints to date.

Ecosure has been developed using an Environmental Impact Analyser to tangibly measure its reduction in environmental impact using two key sustainability criteria: embodied carbon and VOCs.

As well as Ecosure paint containing up to 30% less embodied carbon, its plastic packaging contains 25% post-consumer recycled content, and the metal cans 50%.

Your chosen manufacturer should address sustainability from all angles, assessing the in-life impacts of products as well as their effectiveness, durability and performance. Some paints, for example, make rooms look and feel more spacious, and contribute to significant energy savings.

Part L Building Regulations have led to developers installing smaller windows in properties and there has been an increase in the use of energy efficient, lower wattage light bulbs. Both of these affect the levels of light in a room.

Light & Space, from Dulux Trade, can save on average 20% of lighting energy by allowing lower wattage light bulbs to be used to the same effect as standard higher wattage bulbs.

It also means lights can be switched on up to 20 minutes later every day, all of which equates to turning off one in every five 60W filament bulbs.

Put another way, when comparing Light & Space with standard paint of similar hue and chroma, it is possible to have up to 20% smaller windows and still achieve the same levels of light within a room.

Completing the circle
You also need to consider what will happen to any left over materials at the end of any job. In 2006, 400 million litres of paint were sold in the UK. Of this, it is estimated that approximately 56 million litres were unused or just thrown away.

This equates to enough paint to fill 33 Olympic-sized swimming pools – a scary thought, and any manufacturer worth its salt will be working hard to combat waste. Schemes such as Community Re>Paint, which Dulux founded in 1993, for example, ensures unused good paint is diverted from landfill and distributed for use in community projects.

Clearly, if professionals are to specify and/or use high-performing products that meet all their needs without further compromising the planet for future generations, major manufacturers across the construction industry need to sit up and take note. The first green steps have been taken, and it is certainly a challenge worth setting, as it is a demand all should be ready to meet.

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