Paints and the environment
The strain on the environment keeps growing. Therefore it is increasingly important to pay attention to the environmental impacts of all products including paints.
Plastic-free, breathable, domestic or ecological – how to evaluate paint sustainability?
The main purpose of paint is to protect and prolong the life of materials and act as a barrier against environmental conditions. For many, painting is also an affordable and fast way to decorate and remodel a home. But the question is, how to do this as sustainably as possible, when it is not always easy to identify which paint is more sustainable than another? With this article, we want to help you to understand what the most relevant sustainability features of paint are and how you as a consumer can evaluate them before purchasing.
Start with this easy checklist:
1. Choose the right paint for your surface and favour the most long-lasting one.
The longer the paint lasts on the surface the better it protects your home, and you will need to repaint or repair less frequently, which saves resources. Pick matching and ageless colours you can love for a long time.
2. Favour waterborne paints.
Water-based paints have lower emissions and are, hence, safer to use due to their lower content of organic solvents. Surfaces that are painted with waterborne paints retain their shine and colour for a longer time.
3. Go for third-party certified paint.
The most trusted indicators for safe and sustainable products are third-party labels, such as the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Allergy Label or M1 classification. If you encounter these labels on your paint can, you can be sure the paint meets strict criteria in terms of environmental impact, safety, and quality.
4. Follow safety instructions.
It is not enough that the paint itself has been produced sustainably. Namely, you as a consumer have the responsibility to use the product in a sustainable way. Thus, always protect yourself when painting and use appropriate protective equipment, such as gloves. The label of the paint guides on the right safety equipment and you can find other additional product information on Teknos’ website.
5. Avoid waste and dispose paint correctly.
Calculate the paint consumption accurately to avoid paint waste. Always dispose of paints and painting equipment as instructed in the product description and according to your local guidelines.
What is sustainable paint like?
When discussing paint’s sustainability, it is highly important to take into account the effects of the entire life cycle of the paint on the environment, people, and society.
- Paint is as durable as possible ensuring that repainting needs to be done as rarely as possible.
- Paint protects the painted object and helps it last longer, thereby, reducing the load on the environment.
- Paint has low emissions and does not contain ingredients that are harmful to health: it is safe to paint and does not impair indoor air quality.
- Paint contains fewer environmentally harmful substances. All needed information for safe use and disposal is easily available by the producer.
Why the entire life cycle of paint matters?
Paint, as a product, requires resources, such as energy and materials of mineral and organic origin, to be produced and used, from raw materials to production and disposal. To minimize the overall impact of paint on the environment, the paint should prolong the material’s life cycle and prevent and slow down resource waste. When looking closer at the life cycle of paint, it is not just one feature or ingredient that counts.
The life cycle of paint:
- Raw material supply
- Transportation and storage of raw materials
- Manufacturing (emissions and waste generated during manufacturing)
- Transportation and storage
- Application & usage (compounds volatile from the paint during painting work and drying of the paint)
- Durability and lifetime of the paint
- End of life: Reuse, recovery, recycling (disposal of paint and painted object or structure)
What is the easiest way to recognize sustainable paint?
Third-party certifications are the most reliable way to evaluate paint’s sustainability and to compare different paints. Many products may claim themselves as being eco-friendly or allergy-free but if the product does not have any Type 1 Ecolabels, like Nordic Swan Ecolabel, or Allergy Label, M1 classification or Key Flag Symbol, one cannot be sure. Therefore, it is always good to scan the paint can whether it has the most common and reliable certificates or not:
- Environmental impact: Type 1 Ecolabels; Nordic Swan Ecolabel
- Safety and health impact: Allergy label, M1, Type 1 Ecolabels
- Social impact: Country of origin; Key Flag Symbol
Sustainable paint lasts always as long as possible on the surface and, thus, does not require constant repainting.
> How to choose paint that has the lowest environmental impact?
> Does plastic-free paint equal ecological paint?
> How do I know the paint is low-emitting and safe to use?
> How to recognize the safer paint option, especially for people with asthma and allergies?
> When breathability is important and how to measure it?
> Are eco-friendly paints compostable?
Paint responsibility starts at the beginning of the logistics chain with the sourcing of raw materials and ends with the correct use and disposal of the paint. At Teknos, we are constantly working on our product development to ensure that our products are safer to use and better for the environment. Before the end of the year 2025, Teknos Oy aims to produce only water-borne consumer products. At the same time, we strive to manufacture our products as responsibly as possible in Finland at our factories in Rajamäki and Pitäjänmäki.
Through long-term and careful research, we strive to ensure that the paint is safe, protects as well as possible, and remains on the surface for a long time. This, in turn, helps to effectively reduce the environmental load of the paint.