Any paint colour as long as it’s green
Decorating choices are more sustainable than ever
Long before anyone thought to put the words ‘sustainable’ and ‘paint’ into the same sentence, one New Zealand company was way ahead of the pack.
Just ask Colin Gooch. The technical director of Resene has worked at the proudly New Zealand company for 50 years but when he first started, most paints were made from toxic solvents, including tints comprised of mercury, arsenic and lead. “It’s hard to imagine now, but that’s just how paints were,” says Gooch. “Not surprisingly, they were bad for both people’s health and the environment.”
Resene was founded in 1946 and was a pioneer in making the switch from largely solventborne paints to healthier and more sustainable waterborne paints, as well as ditching toxic pigments but still producing vibrant colours, says Colin.
“It wasn’t easy making enamel, anti-corrosive paints and epoxies with water-based, non-toxic ingredients that reduced VOCs (volatile organic compounds) while still maintaining the quality of the product. But Resene pioneered the technology to be able to do so.”
Resene started exploring how it could use environmentally friendly resins and additives in its products. The result is an extensive range of Environmental Choice approved paints that have been independently verified, including no added VOCs and an extensive range of low VOC products. Resene has also worked with environmentally focused programmes, such as the Green Building Council, Homestar and the Sustainable Business Network.
Fast forward to 2020 when green is more than just a section of the colour wheel. Today, Resene continues to work hard to ensure our homes and workplaces are decorated in the most sustainable way possible. This includes the innovative waterborne paint range, which is lower in VOCs than solvent-borne paints, has less odour, a faster drying time and is generally more durable, with better mould resistance and resistance to chalking. And clever technology such as Resene CoolColour paints and stains that reflect more heat to keep paints and surfaces cooler.
Mike Clowes, Resene technical manager, admits it’s all about the ‘D’ word. “If we can make paints more durable then instead of having to repaint every five years, people will only have to do it every 10 or 20 years,” says Clowes.
An issue for many of us is how to sustainably get rid of unwanted paint but Resene has you covered: thanks to its Resene PaintWise recycling and product stewardship programme, customers can return their unused paint and paint packaging to most Resene ColorShops and they’ll take care of it for you.
Resene has also been painting the town green with its Sensitive Choice range of paints. Sensitive Choice is a programme run by the Asthma Foundation of New Zealand to help asthma and allergy sufferers manage their condition more effectively.
“Our aim is to produce paints that are cleaner and don’t trigger allergies. We’re also currently working on bacterial and virucidal paints that help to keep surfaces sterile,” says Gooch.
Ask Colin and Mike how they think we’ll be decorating in 10 years and both agree that transforming a space into a sanctuary will still require healthy and thoughtful choices.
That includes more environmentally preferable raw ingredients, better stain and scuff resistant paint that can be easily cleaned and more sustainable pigmentation that better withstands New Zealand’s intense UV rays.
You don’t get more local than a New Zealand company operating 100 per cent out of New Zealand, employing over 650 staff at both the Lower Hutt paint plant and at Resene ColorShops across the country. For more information about Resene’s Environmental Choice range visit www.resene.co.nz/eco.