That’s the question a coworker asked me not a long time ago. He has a wide knowledge in environmental topics so he was wondering about how ‘ecological’ were able to be and adjetive for paints.
The answer is not as obvious as it seems. When he said green he meant environmental or ecological, not green as a color. Well, let’s see how a paint can reduce its environmental impact taking into account its life cycle (from raw materials to product on the market and then its waste management). First of all we are going to list the main impacts we must minimize:
- Emissions to the atmosphere ( typically Volatile Organic Compounds).
- The discharges of toxic or otherwise polluting substances into waters.
- Waste
We have to ensure as the lowest environmental impact as its marketing by:
- Warranting an efficient product
- Reducing its toxicity
- A competitive price
- Increasing its visibility
Therefore, the answer is YES, but we must know a paint is not a friend of nature. It’s a product that could be easier to environmentally digest by producing it with the proper ingredients and processes. The following posts will extend both points.
ecoproductsworld 