Painting and the Environment: Why Yellow Isn't Green

Before you decided that you really want that soft yellow color for your entrance foyer be aware that your color choice has environmental impact.

Paint and "environmentally friendly" are not two terms that would normally appear in the same sentence. But the focus on "green" today has pushed makers and sellers of paint to make marketing claims that range from the scientifically sound to the absurd. Whether it is that a paint is "LEED-certified" (buildings, not materials are certified) or that it is "green" (a meaningless term), it is difficult to sort out the various claims.  

The website of the Master Painters Institute, a Vancouver, BC-based international paint specification and research group states the issues succinctly: "Historically the world of paint and coatings was not an environmentally friendly one! Some paints contained mercury, some arsenic and most of us know about paints that contained lead.

"Paints (today) contain both organic and inorganic compounds or materials, some of which may adversely impact our environment by releasing solvents or other toxic materials at various stages of the product life-cycle. Some reports indicate that almost four percent of the ozone depleting substances in the U.S. are a result of VOC emissions from paint and coating products is a scary thought. How can this be reversed or modified?"

Some of the same things that have historically improved the appearance, application, and performance of coatings are now the focus of environmental concern. For example, many environmental organizations such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Green Seal have established standards regarding VOCs  (Volatile Organic Compounds). VOCs are often present in the components that allow paint to spread evenly, cover fully, and adhere to the substrate. But VOCs can also cause headaches, allergic reactions and health problems in humans if inhaled and contribute to the formation of troposphere ozone, smog and global warming.

Are these standards helpful?  It depends on how you look at it, according to SpecialChem.com, a website for professionals who develop and use coatings and inks. "Generally speaking, VOC levels for interior latex paints are 150 g/L for non-flat paints and 50 g/L for flat paints. Exterior paints are typically 200 g/L for non-flat and 100 g/L for flat paints," the website notes.

"But what does this all mean? Perhaps it means very little, because VOCs are only calculated on the base white product and without the colorant system. For example, a 150 gram VOC base white with the addition of a red oxide pigment could increase to 160 g/L. Universal colorants can have more than 160 grams per liter of VOCs because of high glycol levels.

If a painting contractor is coating a surface with an accent color such as yellow, three to five coats are often required to get decent hide. If you combine the VOCs from the base polymer with the universal colorant system then a great deal more VOCs are being emitted from the combined coats."  In other words, the color yellow can be less than  "green".

Here are some other environmental paint considerations mentioned by the SpecialChem coatings website:

Energy Efficiency
Energy-efficient coatings utilize sophisticated heat-blocking pigments that refract the sun's visible, infrared and UV radiation away from the substrate, thereby reducing radiant heat transfer within a building.

Performance
A long-lasting coating means less-frequent repainting, which means fewer VOCs are emitted. The physical performance of latex paints depends on a number of variables such as quality of pigments, film build, polymer and sheen. The longer a coating lasts, the better it is for the environment.

Recycling
Recycled paint has been a green practice for a period of time in the United States. However, why aren't the paint containers also recycled in a similar fashion as they are in other countries such as New Zealand or Canada? It is estimated that 95% of all paint cans in the U.S. end up clogging landfills. Many paint cans are manufactured from polyethylene, which can be recycled into garbage bags, soda bottles or shopping bags.

The Painting and Decorating Foundation of St. Louis and its contractors and union crafts persons are constantly trained in the latest coatings technology and environmentally-friendly painting practices. They can help you make a decision for your project which cuts away the hype and delivers a result that makes the best environmental and practical sense.