The team at Graphenstone encourage designers to re-consider the process by which you specify paint for your projects. It’s more important than ever to consider both the environment and human health when it comes to making responsible design decisions for clients and end-users. So how can your decisions on paint make an impact?
Most paint brands focus your attention on one overriding priority - colour. No one doubts that this is a very important element to deliver on both design and mood. But let’s be honest, these days all the recognised brands have a fantastic range of colours, regardless of the fancy names and the marketing spiel.
In this time of overwhelming need for ecological change, we need to consider characteristics of the paint, well beyond just colour. We should seek information to evaluate:
These crucial factors can no longer be ignored or simply brushed over!
180,000 tonnes of plastic micro-beads are reportedly washed into rivers and oceans from the paints industry annually, six times the volume of micro-plastics emitted by the cosmetics industry - where they’re already banned. A day of reckoning awaits the paints industry, and you can help lead the charge.
The microscopic pieces of plastic now pour down globally in 'plastic rain', seeping widely into agriculture and our precious food chain, and according to the journal 'Environmental Intentional', in late 2020, even into the foetuses of unborn babies.
Indoor Air Quality in areas where high VOC paints are applied can be highly detrimental to the health of inhabitants, as toxic chemicals off-gas into the space, for years after application. 30 tonnes of toxic waste according to the WHO is produced for every ton of paint manufactured. And the chemical blend cannot break down at end of life, turning into plastic dust and spreading far and wide. These are just a very few examples on the long list of egregious risks and damage from a paints industry, which continues largely unchecked.
Check out the report 'The Hidden Costs of a Plastic Planet' here from CIEL.
It’s time to change, 'Beyond Colour'.
Usually, you won’t see any declaration of ingredients. Neither will you find any trusted alternative to the declared list, such as a recognised ‘harm-free’ product evaluation certification, from the likes of Cradle to Cradle Institute, or Eurofins. These all require a careful and detailed inspection of all the contents, conducted on behalf of the consumer as solid verification of an ecological, or genuinely sustainable claim. So, all the usual paint additives could still be present, from solvents, de-foamers, driers, preservatives, additives, heavy metals and other harmful chemicals.
With 'estimates of nearly 55% of raw material used by paint companies being crude oil derivatives', the impact ecologically on our planet and the damage caused is becoming more widely known and repudiated.
"Paints, lacquers, and varnishes are among the chemical everyday products that have a particularly distinct effect on environment and health (chemicals in conventional paints can include glycols, toluene, and xylene).
Acrylic paints typically include a range of biocides to protect the latex, which can include arsenic disulphide, phenol, copper. Just because a paint says it has low VOCs does not mean it does not give off hazardous vapours." - Architectural Digest Australia/Daniel Wurm, Greenpainters.
Mineral based paint systems are all automatically water based, since they don’t require solvents, using water as the base.
So don’t be misled by the apparent innocence of the "Water Based" paints label. It can disguise a toxic mix of polluting oil and plastic based ingredients, both highly damaging in production and no less toxic at point of use!
About Graphenstone
Graphenstone is the brainchild of a chemical engineer Antonio León Jiménez who dedicated himself to the idea of developing a natural, ecological and health conscious coating for the 21st century. Since the production of their initial range of paints and coatings, they have continued to work diligently creating ever more healthy and sustainable coatings for all manner of buildings.
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Identifying genuinely sustainable and ecological paint brands requires some careful research and checking. But it’s worth it! At stake is both the health of our planet and those that inhabit your space. Here Graphenstone presents a few key pointers:
Do they claim ‘Low VOC’ levels or 'Ultra-Low'? Low VOC can be as high at 30-50 grams per litre! Low VOC is a misnomer, it’s nothing like low enough. Even low or Ultra Low VOC products can contain other harmful additives and chemicals.
What evidence does the brand offer to validate their sustainability claims? Check to see if they provide Toxicological or Ecological data, or does it simply say ’No data available’ or not reference it?
Window-dressing; does the brand highlight positives like planting trees, or removing plastic from oceans, while explicitly avoiding any reference to their manufacturing process, the paints products themselves or their carbon footprint? Some brand use these distractions to window dress to shift your attention from other more damaging, un-ecological aspects of their offering.
Are there Independent certifications available from recognised 'harm-free' product evaluation agencies? These are essential to verify claims. ’Trust but Verify’ as Ronald Reagan, US President, once famously stated.
Are the paints genuinely petro-chemical, micro-bead and plastic free? Micro-beads are so damaging to the global ecology of rivers and oceans and the scientific evidence is now clear that these tiny plastic particles are now falling globally, onto land, via ‘plastic rain’.
Do they list ingredients with no verification from recognised, respected third party product evaluation agencies? How can you know if those really are the only ingredients? Check their certifications for independent evidence to confirm that all ingredients are ‘harm-free’ and healthy.
The paint industry is one of the most polluting globally. Billions of Kilo’s of VOC’s released annually into our precious atmosphere. For every ton of paint manufactured, the WHO claim that there’s 30 tons of waste water requiring processing. Only 30% of global paints are manufactured with a water base and even these can contain plastic and petrol-chemical based ingredients.
Graphenstone is certified by the most rigorous of all the ‘harm-free’ evaluation agencies including the most widely respected and holistic agencies such as Cradle to Cradle Institute, Eurofins, Green Tag and many others. No global paints brand has more certifications in the ecological and sustainable space.
Architectural and interior designer, antiques dealer and furniture designer Rose Uniacke is pleased to present Rose Uniacke Paint, a debut paint collection that was launched this month.
Taking Rose Uniacke’s renowned fabric collection as inspiration, the range comprises 14 colours that offer a refined backdrop to the timeless decorative style that the designer is celebrated for. The debut paint range will be 100% natural and chemical-free and is suited to both traditional and modern interiors.
An effortless versatility underpins the palette of carefully considered neutral colours which range from the gently green-hued ‘Apple Mint’ to the softly pink-toned ‘Bloom’. Made using the highest quality natural and sustainable materials, the ecologically accountable paint range offers exceptional performance, durability and coverage while being preservative and plastic-free.
“I have long mixed my own bespoke paints for the projects I design and so it made sense to share some of these colours. I wanted to do this in an environmentally conscious way, and so creating a range that’s 100% natural and chemical-free was a priority from the outset.” says Rose Uniacke.
After a long search for the perfect partner, Rose Uniacke chose Norfolk-based Graphenstone to develop the range of 100% natural and chemical-free paints.
A world-class innovator when it comes to sustainability, Graphenstone paints contain Graphene, a nontoxic pure carbon that is the strongest material known to science. Packaged using 100% recycled materials, the natural mineral base paints require some dilution before use, helping to reduce the CO2 emissions by not transporting water around the world.
The range is available in three finishes suited to both internal and external applications. Grafclean and Grafclean Midsheen are composed of vegetable resins and ecological materials, while half of the range is available in Ecosphere, a paint based on pure lime which helps purify the air by absorbing CO2. So pure is the Ecosphere paint that 15L will absorb nearly 5.0kg of CO2.
“It was an absolute must that we developed our debut paint collection in partnership with a brand which has the environment at its core” added Uniacke.
Rose Uniacke Paints are sold exclusively in the new Rose Uniacke Fabric Shop at 103 Pimlico Road, SW1, and online.
About Rose Uniacke
Rose Uniacke is an interior designer, a designer of furniture and lighting – for individual clients as well as for her shop - and a dealer in both antiques and pieces by other, usually well known, designers.
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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.
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?
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?
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!
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!
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.
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.
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