ADVERTORIAL
Improving sustainability one brush stroke at a time
W
hen designing education facilities, sustainability should be high up on the agenda to ensure that emissions are reduced, maintenance cycles are extended, and the environment is as safe and pleasant as possible for staff and students. In this article, Duncan Lochhead, Commercial Sustainability Manager at Dulux Decorator Centre explains how sustainability can be improved with the right paint selection.
Durability
Schools and universities are busy places, which means they experience wear and tear and require regular redecoration. As well as being costly and highly disruptive to learning, short maintenance cycles, including regular redecoration, can also have a negative impact on the environment as they increase the carbon emissions produced over a building’s life. To avoid this, we recommend selecting durable paints and coatings that provide the longevity needed to extend the lifespan of a space and reduce the need for touch ups.
The highly durable Dulux Trade Scuffshield Matt is ideal for education environments as it is a tough, water-based emulsion that contains ultimate scuff resistant technology to protect walls against scuff marks being left behind from items such as shoes and bags. It is also cleanable and offers good stain resistance, helping to keep walls looking their best for longer.
Water-based
When selecting paints and coatings, it is also important to check for Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) content. VOCs evaporate into the air at room temperature and, once exposed to sunlight, react with nitrogen oxides already present in the air and contribute to the formation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. They are emitted from numerous sources including fuels, household cleaning products, soft furnishings and paints.
While VOC emissions from decorative paints represent a relatively small fraction of the UK’s pollutants (1%), they still have a negative environmental impact and affect indoor air quality. If exposed to VOCs for long periods of time, people can experience symptoms such as irritation to airways, headaches, nausea and even allergic skin reactions. As VOCs are found in higher quantities in solvent-based paints, it is recommended to choose water-based alternatives. Products like Dulux Trade Diamond Matt that are 99.9% VOC free (based on in-can VOC
December 2023
content and measured in accordance with ISO 11890-2:2013) are the ideal solution as they will have minimal impact on the environment. Dulux Trade Diamond Matt is also highly durable, contains unique stain repellent technology and is scrubbable meaning it can withstand daily wear and tear.
Can recycling
Studies show that 95% of empty paint cans end up in landfill or get burnt for energy recovery after use. Once the paint has been applied to the walls, it is therefore important to think about how to responsibly dispose of empty cans or leftover product. When selecting a decorator and paint supplier, consider how they can help with this. Initiatives like Dulux Decorator Centre’s empty can recycling service, in partnership with Veolia, are a great way to responsibly dispose of waste once a project is complete. The free service has received over one million paint cans to date and will accept cans from any brand.
Alternatively, if there is paint leftover, consider donating it to schemes like Community RePaint. This UK wide paint reuse network, sponsored by Dulux, collects leftover paint and redistributes it at an
affordable cost to community projects and those in need, giving people the opportunity to access high quality paint whilst also diverting it away from landfill.
To find out more about how Dulux Decorator Centre can help to improve the sustainability of your next redecoration project visit:
https://www.duluxdecoratorcentre.co.uk/our-sustainability-story/
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