Nutshell launches new nanotechnology

Natural paints are getting the green light from specifiers.

“Our collective goal is to convince more people to embrace pro-Planet attitudes and environmentally positive consumer behaviour by offering products that not only contribute to long-term eco-aspirations but have immediate and practical benefits in terms of improving health, reducing energy requirements and saving money”

Building material suppliers the world over are increasingly desperate to demonstrate their eco-credentials as those involved in procurement and specification narrow their shopping lists to items that can be seen to be pro-Planet.

This is not just about sustainability and reducing carbon output. It is also about providing eco-friendly products which are practical, inherently healthy for people right now as well as in the future, cost-effective and energy saving.

Nutshell Natural Paints are pioneers in this area. The product range delivers all the requirements of traditional paints, stains, colour washes and varnishes but without any of the environmental downsides and potentially harmful chemical cocktails contained in acrylic and solvent based products.

Nutshell paints are water based which can be enhanced by using pigments manufactured in the UK using only naturally sourced renewable ingredients including oils, herbs and minerals.

They are microporous, biodegradable and offer a radical alternative to paints manufactured with vinyl resins and petrochemical solvents. They contain no VOCs – Volatile Carbon Compounds – which evaporate easily into the air and can pose serious health issues including headaches and sore throats as well as damaging plant life.

These products also have a financial impact for specifiers as they are expensive and environmentally expensive to dispose of.

Paints which claim to be VOC-free may not actually be free from other damaging ingredients such as formaldehyde, acetone or ammonia. In the case of Nutshell natural paints, they are.

Nutshell products are virtually odour free. Rooms painted with Nutshell Emulsions don't have to be vacated or aired. They are emission neutral and allergy free caring for the environment and the personal health of people who live and work in Nutshell painted environments as well as those who apply the paint.

The paints are especially appropriate for public places such as nurseries, schools, hospitals and even Olympic villages, all places where a healthy environment is essential. Even the packaging is recyclable furthering the brand's reputation for environmentally positive policies and emphasising its holistic view of all the issues involved in sourcing materials, manufacture, application and disposal, i.e. the whole life span of a product.

Insulate while you decorate

The use of non-VOC paints is becoming more established amongst specifiers and Nutshell's products are ticking all the right boxes for them. However new product development is now enhancing the benefits of using these products.

Using nanotechnology, Nutshell has launched a new thermal insulating paint which offers thermal radiation reflection. In other words, used internally or externally the paint will reduce heat loss from inside a living space by reflecting up to 92 per cent back into the room resulting in lower energy requirements and money saving.

In addition, applying Nutshell's thermal insulating paint will also reduce the amount of heat able to penetrate from outside by 92 per cent, keeping cooled environments cool, reducing the work load on air conditioning systems and doing its bit to cut the world's carbon output.

The remarkable characteristics of thermal insulating paint are the result of a specialist additive consisting of nanoparticles which is widely available but which cannot be used in traditional solvent based paints. Nutshell is the only natural paint manufacturer to offer a product with the additive pre-mixed.

There are other benefits, too. The nanoparticles are water repellent further increasing thermal insulation qualities. The additive also helps to reduce temperature variation and protects against condensation and mould.

Along with a proprietary paint and varnish remover, Nutshell's thermal paint is the company's only product in their vast range to contain traces of VOCs but the amount is 20 times below the European Commission 2010 limit

Mike Back, managing director of Nutshell Natural Paints said: "The minute trace of VOC in our thermal paint product, we feel is far outweighed by its energy saving ability.

"As a business, we set out to provide paint and related products which are sustainable and healthy and I feel we have achieved this in a way that contributes to environmental well-being going forward but also has an immediate impact in terms of personal health and cost-saving.

2009 has been a good year for Nutshell. The company opened its most recent manufacturing facility in Exeter, UK, with the latest state-of-the-art technology and a team of skilled craftsmen producing environmentally positive paints stains and varnishes using traditional methods and original formulations.

The work of Nutshell was also recognised during the year with the accolade of winning the Carbon Positive Pioneer and the Carbon Positive Cutting Edge categories in the HRH Prince of Wales backed Carbon Positive Awards 2009. The awards identified the business as having had the greatest impact on carbon reduction as well as developing and delivering innovative carbon cutting solutions

Mike Back added: "Our collective goal is to convince more people to embrace pro-Planet attitudes and environmentally positive consumer behaviour by offering products that not only contribute to long-term eco-aspirations but have immediate and practical benefits in terms of improving health, reducing energy requirements and saving money.

"Product development of this sort gives the construction industry a real platform of opportunity to provide vision and leadership and to help themselves fulfil the ever growing demands of their own corporate and social responsibility programmes."

More information about Nutshell Natural Paints is available by visiting www.nutshellpaints.co.uk.