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Description
Consumers in recent years have begun to demand more "natural" products. Store shelves have exploded with foods, dietary supplements, nutraceuticals, and personal care products containing natural ingredients. In the auto industry, cars painted in more natural, earthy tones are expected to take a greater share of the market in the next few years. Demand for natural shades in home decorating is increasing as well. Not surprisingly, there is also a growing interest in paint products manufactured with natural raw materials.
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Of course, the first paints developed by the modern coatings industry were based on the natural raw material linseed oil and its derivatives. Waterborne coatings containing synthetic resins began gaining in popularity some decades ago and continue to receive attention as they are more "environmentally friendly" than the alternative, solventborne coatings. However, they are not as "green" as possible. To be sure, some specialty furniture coatings today are based on tung oil, and shellac is a natural material that continues to see use, but using a natural material or materials does not necessarily make a product green or environmentally friendly if oil and solvents are still used in the formulation process.
"The green movement is gaining significant momentum right now in the United States," asserts R. Scott Dautel, global new product leader for Coatings Additives with the Aqualon Division of Hercules Incorporated. "Of course, the natural product movement is an offshoot of broader environmental concern. Consumers want products that are perceived to be more environmentally friendly." Organizations like Green Seal, the Green Building Council (both in the U.S. and Canada), the Master Painters Institute, and the Greenguard Environmental Institute are helping to create that momentum by establishing standards for green building practices.
Green Seal began certifying a wide range of products and services after establishing science-based environmental leadership standards. There are three standards for paints and coatings--for anticorrosive paints, general paints, and recycled paints--that set levels for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), aromatic compounds, and other toxic substances. Currently, the organization is revising and combining the first two standards.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED[R]) Green Building Rating System[TM] was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as a "national consensus-based, market-driven building rating system designed to accelerate the development and implementation of green building practices," according to the organization. Points are achieved through the use of qualified products including paints and coatings (generally those that are Green Seal approved).
The MPI Green Performance Standard and "green" Approved Products List from the Master Painters Institute (MPI) consider both environmental issues (largely VOCs) and performance. The Greenguard Environmental Institute has an independent scientific board that certifies materials for interior use based on standards set for VOCs, formaldehyde, and other ingredients. Credit for the LEED rating can also be obtained for Greenguard certified materials.
The U.S. government and local officials, too, have taken several actions. The most notable, of course, are the continued reductions in allowable VOC levels passed by regional, state, and local agencies such as California's South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The U.S. House of Representatives also passed the Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2005 (H.R. 1215), which calls for various agencies to work together to enhance funding and coordination of green chemistry R & D, education, and training. The bill still awaits a vote by the U.S. Senate.
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Green Chemistry Program supports fundamental research in the areas of environmentally benign chemistry as well as a variety of educational initiatives, international activities, conferences and meetings, and development tools through voluntary partnerships with academia, industry,... |
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