The Decorator – October-November 2021

SUSTAINABILITY SUCCESSES BUT CHALLENGES AHEAD

THE 26TH UNITED Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, will be held in November this year. The UK Government holds the Conference’s Presidency and as the summit is being held in Glasgow, all eyes will on the UK to showcase its commitments to sustainability. The paint industry has already achieved a huge amount with regards to sustainable action. There has been a three-fold reduction in VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds, or solvents) emissions since 1996, with 84% of decorative paints now sold being water-based. This has led to a five-fold reduction in the carbon footprint of paint consumption, making a significant positive impact on the sustainability of the paint industry. Looking at the footprint of paint production, UK factories have halved the amount of waste produced, with 55% of UK paint factories now sending zero waste to landfill and recycling levels up to 67%. Record low levels of energy used per tonne of production were reported, with the lowest ever rate of waste sent to landfill, at just 4% of the 1996 figure.

One major sustainability challenge that still faces the paint industry, what to do with the 55 million litres of paint that are leftover each year. As it stands, 98% of this leftover paint is incinerated or landfilled, which is harmful to the environment. BCF’s response to this is PaintCare, a voluntary national stewardship programme that aims for 75% of leftover paint to be recycled, reused or remanufactured by 2030. Remanufactured paint has a 50% lower eco-footprint, and the technology is already in use in a small number of companies.

The paint industry is currently consulting stakeholders including Government and the PDA, before deciding on how to move the programme forward. More news is expected later this year. More information on the scheme and its benefits can be found on the PaintCare website at www.paintcare.org.uk