Big Green: Fw: Green Seal and "Green" Paint (and stains)

Thu May 29 10:19:21 EDT 2008

For anyone interested in recycled paints, here is an excerpt from a paint listserv maintained by the Product Stewardship Instititute (see below for contacts).

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Sierra Fletcher 
To: lfletcher at rcn.com 
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 3:59 PM
Subject: FW: Green Seal and "Green" Paint (and stains)

We now have a paint listserve, should you or anyone else be interested!

_____________________________

Sierra E. Fletcher

Associate - Policy and Programs

Product Stewardship Institute, Inc.

137 Newbury Street, 7th Floor

Boston, MA 02116

617-236-4886 (phone)

617-859-9889 (fax)

sierra at productstewardship.us

www.productstewardship.us

From: Paint-owner at list.productstewardship.us [mailto:Paint-owner at list.productstewardship.us] On Behalf Of Nightingale, Dave (ECY)
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 2:07 PM
To: Mark Petruzzi; Paint at list.productstewardship.us
Cc: Christine Chase; Kraft, Karin (ECY)
Subject: RE: Green Seal and "Green" Paint (and stains)

Some details on "Green Paints"

Part of the national Paint Product Stewardship Initiative work resulting in the creation of the GS-43 standard for recycled content latex paint, it also folds in MPI standards.  My understanding is that it was the first Green Seal standard to incorporate industry performance standards by reference (MPI) in addition to an environmental standard.  So you now have an integrated standard with both environmental and industry performance in one standard.

I am working in the Northwest to encourage purchasing of recycled content paint.  We currently have two contracts, our normal paint purchasing contract has three vendors who offer recycled content paint, Sherwin-Williams (through Visions Paint in Sacramento), Parker Paint (in Tacoma) and E-Coat by Kelly-Moore (manufactured in Sacramento).  This contract does not require the recycled paint to be GS-43.

Earlier this year WA state created a small contract specifically for GS-43 latex paint that you can see at: https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/apps/ContractSearch/ContractSummary.aspx?c=00207 This is available to WA and OR government and non-profits but may provide some useful language for others considering developing environmentally preferred purchasing practices or policy.

One of the key issues with the VOCs is that manufacturers of paint typically list the VOC content for tint base, BEFORE the store adds the color pigments. The color pigments are suspended in a very high VOC content mixture that significantly boosts the VOC content of the final product when you actually use it.

GS-43 certified paint has between 50-100% recycled content.  "Consolidated" GS-43 paint is at least 95% recycled content and typically there is no pigments added.  This means that instead of buying newly manufactured VOCs from a virgin source you are using VOCs left over from paint that has already been created.  This recycling avoids the creation of new VOCs.  Tests by Portland Metro, one of the few manufacturers of GS-43 paint indicate that if you subtracted the pigment VOCs that are added that you would typically have a low VOC paint.

This is all before the environmental savings associated with the resources impacts of virgin materials such as Titanium Dioxide and energy savings from processing and to some extent transportation. It also diverts these good leftover paints from disposal, an economic waste.

My understanding is that there are currently two certified GS-43 Manufacturers, Portland Metro (Portland, Oregon) and Visions Paint Recycling (McClellan (Sacramento area), CA) and at least one other paint recycler that is close to becoming certified, Amazon Environmental, (Riverside, CA, and Roseville (Minneapolis area) MN)

Using recycled paint may qualify under a few categories of LEED: 

MR Credit 4.1: Recycled Content: 10% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer). 

MR Credit 4.2: Recycled Content: 20% (post-consumer + ½ pre-consumer).

MR Credit 5.1: Local/Regional Materials, 20% Manufactured Locally 

MR Credit 5.2. Local/Regional Materials, 50% Manufactured Locally.

GS-43 Paint Sources:

Visions Paint Recycling: http://www.visionsrecycling.com/index.htm

[certification in process] Amazon Environmental: http://www.nvo.com/amazon 

Portland Metro (Metro Paint): http://www.metro-region.org/index.cfm/go/by.web/id/521

Current listing of GS-11 and GS-43 Paint Sources by Green Seal

http://www.greenseal.org/findaproduct/paints_coatings.cfm 

Additional information about recycled content paint, green building, and paint purchasing:

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/beyondwaste/epp/recyc_paints.html 

http://www.oregonmetro.gov/files/living/metropaintandgreenbuilding.pdf 

http://www.metro-region.org/index.cfm/go/by.web/id/12405/print/true/PREVIEW=0&ID=12405 

Additional information about the Paint Product Stewardship Initiative:

http://www.productstewardship.us/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=117 

Dave N.

David E.B. Nightingale, CHMM 

Environmental Planner, MRW Lead 

Solid Waste and Financial Assistance Program 

WA. State Dept. of Ecology 

(360) 407-6392  dnig461 at ecy.wa.gov 

"...it is a fundamental and inalienable right of the people of the state of Washington to live in a healthful and pleasant environment"  RCW 43.21A.010

-----Original Message-----
From: Paint-owner at list.productstewardship.us [mailto:Paint-owner at list.productstewardship.us] On Behalf Of Mark Petruzzi
Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 7:26 AM
To: Paint at list.productstewardship.us
Cc: Christine Chase
Subject: RE: Green Seal and "Green" Paint (and stains)

Howdy Folks:

I thought I'd chime in with a little info. As you may know, Green Seal

previously worked with PSI to develop an environmental standard for

recycled latex paint (GS-43,

http://www.greenseal.org/newsroom/GS-43_Recycled_Content_Latex_Paint.pdf

).

Our environmental standard for virgin paints, GS-11, just wrapped up a

year-long revision process on May 12th, and we will now begin

evaluating/certifying paints to the current edition of the standard. You

can find all of the background materials, public comments and responses,

and the newly revised paint standard on Green Seal's website at

http://www.greenseal.org/certification/g11_paintstandard_dev.cfm. Much

of it may make for excellent bedtime reading, but all of our

environmental standards are developed via an open and transparent

process.

The LEED reference in EQ Credit 4.2: Low-Emitting Materials: Paints &

Coatings is to the VOC limitations in Green Seal's paint standards

(paints and anti-corrosive paints were previously two separate

standards, now combined in the revised GS-11 standard). VOCs, as someone

mentioned, are just one of many lifecycle considerations with coatings.

If you need more background on Green Seal (www.greenseal.org), please

let me know. Founded in 1989, we're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

whose mission focuses on environmentally preferable products and

services. Green Seal is the only ISO Type I ecolabeling program based in

the US (multi-attribute, multi-category seal-of-approval) and the US

member of the Global Ecolabelling Network

(http://www.gen.gr.jp/members.html).

On a related note, we have just announced the development of a new

environmental standard for stains and clear finishes. GS-11 applies to

opaque coatings, but there is great interest in identifying

environmentally responsible stains or varnishes and looking beyond just

VOC compliance (to avoid covering up the beautiful grain of the

FSC-certified wood in the lobby...). Anyone interested in participating

can find all the details on our website at

http://www.greenseal.org/certification/gs47_stains_clear_finishes.cfm.

Mark

Mark T. Petruzzi

Vice President of Certification

Green Seal, Inc.

mpetruzzi at greenseal.org

www.greenseal.org

-----Original Message-----

From: Paint-owner at list.productstewardship.us

[mailto:Paint-owner at list.productstewardship.us] On Behalf Of Jack Ranney

Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 9:51 AM

To: Becky Jayne; Paint at list.productstewardship.us

Subject: Re: "Green" Paint

You are raising an important issue/question.  I am familiar with the

Green Seal certification and it is a good standard.  Although I am not

familiar with the LEED or MPI standards, they may also be good standards

that could be acceptable.  I have been faced with this before where a

statewide initiative develops a set of standards for electronics

recycling, but another group comes up with a different set of standards

and gets through the political process first so their standard becomes

the industry standard, although they are very similar.  I don't mean to

suggest we have lots of different standards, but if there are some in

existence perhaps they should be reviewed for acknowledgement or

acceptance as a standard.  Is there a cost to a program for

transitioning from one standard to another that is certified, although

the two standards may be comparable?

Jack

Jack Ranney

Lower Colorado River Authority

P.O. Box 220

Austin, Texas 78767-0220

Phone #: 800-776-5272, Ext. 7651

Cell Phone:  512-422-2891

Fax: 512-473-3390

Email: Jack.Ranney at LCRA.org 

>>> "Jayne, Becky" <Becky.Jayne at Illinois.gov> 5/22/2008 7:55 AM >>>

Good Morning -

I'm reviewing our state paint contracts.  Not many of the paints are

Green Seal certified.  Some that aren't GS certified meet the LEED 2.2

requirements and the MPI Green Approved Products List.  I haven't delved

into the differences between the programs.  I was wondering if anyone

has thoughts on which program, or any others that is the "best".  

Thanks,

Becky

Becky Jayne

IL EPA - Office of Pollution Prevention

P. O. Box 19276

Springfield, IL 62794-9276

Becky.Jayne at illinois.gov <mailto:Becky.Jayne at illinois.gov>  

Phone: (217) 524-9642

Fax: (217) 557-2125

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