10th December 2020 | IN PRODUCT NEWS | BY SBID ShareTweetPinterestLinkedIn Mineral and graphene technology paints company Graphenstone, are reporting unprecedented demand for its’ sustainable range of air-purifying, CO2 absorbing, VOC free hygienic paints. Patrick Folkes, CEO & Founder of The Graphene Company – Sole Distributor of Graphenstone, UK shares insight behind the increasing desire for more purposeful paint specification. Wider implications of paint selection The health impact from toxic petro-chemical, plastic-based paints is now more widely recognised. Historically, the area of key interest for consumers was just colour. However, most didn’t appreciate the costs to both people and planet, of this simple selection criteria. Heavily polluting paint production processes, as well as the highly negative impact in homes and offices of toxic fumes on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), from solvents and VOC’s (for many months after application), went largely unrecognized. Did you know that after painting, the VOC levels in your room can increase by hundreds of times? Greenwashing in the industry Manufacturers responded to some of the most egregious issues of the past decades, by removing lead content and some of the worst offending VOC heavy products, as regulations tightened. Recently however, times have changed. The ecological crisis, so effectively documented by David Attenborough and others, boosted by the recent Covid pandemic, are now forcing real evolution… at a much faster pace. Prior to recent scientific developments, there was typically a compromise on performance in the selection of more ecological products. Furthermore, many manufacturers climbed aboard the ‘eco-friendly’ marketing bandwagon, often with no genuine, independently verified certifications to support their claims. This resulted in an inevitable ‘green-washing’ backlash. Who can we trust? Why environmental certification matters Graphenstone has now secured over 20 of the most recognised ‘harm-free’ certifications from the best known product evaluation specialists globally, including Cradle to Cradle (certified Gold and Silver). Cradle to Cradle Institute look at all aspects of your product, down to 100 parts per million of ingredients; how the materials were sourced; water and energy use in production; local social responsibility, as well as how the products die out; all in all a thorough and demanding process. In addition, Graphenstone’s paints are BREEAM, WELL, and LEED compliant and benefit from Ecolabel and EPDs (European Product Declarations). Graphenstone has a totally unique profile in the paints market. Our range has no toxicity. In fact these products actively CLEAN and PURIFY the air, our pure lime based ranges removing CO2, SOx, NOx and other pollutants. Highly breathable, anti-bacterial (inhibiting all micro-organisms), Fire-proof (A1 EU, Class ‘0’ UK), Vegan, VOC free, Class 1 strength and in a range of over 1000 colours, we’ve created a beautiful matt paint reinforced by graphene technology, a form of carbon which is the strongest material on earth. Odour free and super quick drying, with no preservatives, chemicals, plastic or microbeads, our products contain no MIT or BIT. That’s a lot of valuable features in a single product range! Driving innovation for sustainability Strength is a fundamentally important asset in more ways than one. To make the sustainable, environmental claim, the regularity of painting is crucial. Mineral products would normally not compete in terms of durability and life-cycle with synthetic-binder based paints (such as vinyl or acrylic), thus creating a negative footprint ecologically, given the requirement for more regular repainting. By introducing graphene technology, which provides structural support to the minerals at the molecular level, Graphenstone’s range offer Class 1 strength like an acrylic, yet with none of the negatives in production or use, in homes and offices. Once applied, our paints could stay on your wall in a healthy and sustainable condition, for decades! Consider paints that purify! The Graphenstone pure limes can absorb up to 5.5Kg’s of CO2 per 15 litre pot! Imagine converting your walls into an air-purification system, as opposed to a constant emitter of toxic fumes, impacting on the health and respiratory systems of your friends, family or work colleagues. It’s like painting trees into your house or office. In conclusion, our message to designers in this challenging era, is to carefully evaluate what product they specify, to ensure that it’s in the interests of the people who’s lives will be impacted by that selection. Do ensure too that the claims made by brands can be independently verified and the impact on people and the environment is truly ‘harm-free’. The future of clean, durable paints is in fact available today. Click here to explore the range. Visit Profile About the Author Patrick Folkes is the CEO & Founder of The Graphene Company – Sole Distributor of Graphenstone, UK. An independent entrepreneur since 1990 with a background in finance, Patrick founded PJ’s in 1995, the UK’s first fruit smoothie business, which sold to PepsiCo in 2005. Patrick was intrigued by the potential of Graphenstone. Natural, highly sustainable, air-purifying paints reinforced by graphene, a 21st Century Nobel prize winning carbon technology, offered the perfect product at a time of urgent need. If you’d like to become SBID Accredited, click here to find out more.