The green light for natural paint solutions

Michael Back, Managing Director of Nutshell Natural Paints, offers his advice for demonstrating eco-credentials in the paints and coating industry.

“The use of non-VOC paints is becoming more established amongst specifiers and Nutshell's products are ticking all the right boxes for them”
-Michael Back

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 that 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 - which can pose serious health issues including headaches and sore throats, as well as damaging plant life.

Paints that 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.

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

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 that 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 percent 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 percent, 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 that are widely available but 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 to contain traces of VOCs, however, the tiny amount is 20 times below the European Commission 2010 limit

As a business, Nutshell set out to provide paint and related products that are sustainable and healthy and this has been achieved in a way that contributes to environmental well-being as well as offering an immediate impact in terms of personal health and cost-saving. Industry's collective goal should be 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.

For more information please visit www.nutshellpaints.co.uk.

Michael Back is the Managing Director of Nutshell Natural Paints. Back is also responsible for the research and development of new environmental and energy saving technologies, as well as for increasing the international awareness of Nutshell Natural Paints and finishes.