This article is going to cover all aspects of paint, including whether environmentally friendly paint is worth it, the history of it and importantly, some more information on the standard (non environmentally friendly) paints you have previously used in your home. 

Environmentally friendly paint is paint that has no detrimental effects to the environment or society. Often, the best way to create an eco-friendly paint is by lessening the amount of VOCs it contains and not using animal derived materials. 

Environmentally Friendly Paint- Is It Worth It?

Well, in short, yes! We think so anyway, and here is why:

Low levels of VOC

Unfortunately, many of the conventional household paints that you have been using for years contain harmful chemicals otherwise known as VOCs. These chemicals pollute the air in your home and the environment and continue to seep into the atmosphere long after the paint has dried. This can have significant impacts on people with existing health conditions that affect breathing such as asthma. VOC stands for volatile organic compounds and effectively contains carbon based chemicals. 

Paint that is Environmentally friendly uses different materials that are much safer for both you and the environment by helping to improve the air quality within your home. Although it is impossible to have a zero VOC paint, there is still a range of virtually VOC free paints available which are much better for the environment.

Non toxic materials

As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the low levels of VOC in environmentally friendly paints means that the paint is essentially non toxic. After all, who would want any additional toxins in their home if they had the choice.  A report by The World Health Organisation suggests that professional decorates are 40% more likely to contract lung cancer, this statistic suggests that the toxins that come in your typical tin of paint do have a long term effect and more awareness should be raised around the impact of non environmentally friendly paints.

Ultra low odour 

Another reason we think that eco-friendly paint is 100% worth it is because the reason paint smells so strong is due to the VOCs and toxins that it contains. So, when you take away these ingredients and you use a low VOC, non-toxic paint, you get to avoid the nasty odours you would normally associate with paint. Many ‘zero-VOC’ paints are based on natural clays and oils which are not robust and have a greater environmental impact due to an increased maintenance cycle, therefore it is important to do some research before purchasing the first paint you see. We recommend checking the materials and ingredients on the back of the tin of paint before you buy.

Environmentally Friendly Paint by Victory Colours

Victory Colours have more benefits as well as low levels of VOC, being non toxic and being Ultra low odour paint. Our paints are different because not only are they environmentally friendly, they are vegan too meaning we do not test on animals or use any animal derived products. Our paint range has also been developed to ensure that it is durable, because having a family ourselves, made us realise the importance of having durable home decor. Furthermore, our paints are washable, easy to apply, high quality with exceptional opacity and the best part, they come in a huge range of colours! To find out more about our environmentally friendly, vegan paint rage visit our page.

History of Environmentally Friendly Paint

Eco paint is nothing new, dating back as far as the times of the ancient Egyptians, and Asian and European cultures have mixed raw natural pigments such as turmeric with plant oil or egg yolk to produce paint. By the 1900’s, paint developed further and people began to integrate chemicals including VOCs as paints were unregulated back then and unbeknown to many was the long term impacts of that came with it. As regulations started to come into place, the first low VOC paints were developed in the late 1900’s, but due to their high cost, many consumers ignored them still not fully understanding the benefits of paint that is environmentally friendly.

Nowadays, regulations have been put in place to limit the amount of VOCs in paints with the Paints Production Directive (PPD) making it so that UK decorative paints must not contain any more than the specified amount of volatile organic compounds. Despite this, the amount of VOCs allowed in paint is still significant and still has an impact on the environment.

Summary

As you can see, we think there are a whole host of advantages that come with using paint that has no detrimental impact on the environment and we hope by sharing this information, you can see why too.

Let us know what your thoughts are on environmentally friendly paint on our social media pages, you can visit us on Facebook, Instagram or twitter.