Colour for the home that cares for the Earth
Crown is balancing our need to refresh and renew with positive actions to cut waste
We decorate to make our homes more beautiful, welcoming and relaxing spaces to live in – but we don’t want to do it at the cost of the planet we live on.
We are becoming acutely aware of the impact that our actions can have on the environment, and that even something as simple as painting a wall can come at a high cost in terms of wasted product and discarded empty paint containers.
Committed to the environment
For the past 12 years, Crown has put thinking green at the heart of its paint production through its earthbalance scheme. It has committed to being more sustainable and less wasteful in every aspect of its paint production, from how it’s made to its packaging and even the way it’s sold in stores and decorating centres.
During that time, Crown has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions and its overall electricity consumption (the latter by 15 per cent), cut packaging waste by approximately 15 per cent, and recycled more than 800 tonnes of paint cans.
The company has also reduced the amount of waste going to landfill, with 65 per cent of it being reused or recycled. Plus, it’s benefitted deserving community projects – with
an impressive 39,000 litres of paint being redistributed for use through Crown’s Kick out the Can, Can Back and Nimtech schemes.
Cutting down on waste
Two years ago, Crown launched paint containers made from 100 per cent recycled post-consumer waste (PCW) – the first paint manufacturer in the UK to do so. This far exceeds the industry standard of just 25 per cent! The process of making the containers involves separating polypropylene plastics – such as shampoo bottles, yoghurt pots and empty water bottles – from unusable plastic, saving thousands of tonnes of PCW plastic ending up in landfill.
Mark Lloyd, sustainability manager for Crown Paints, said: ‘We’re very proud of the earthbalance scheme and everything it’s helped us achieve over the years. We have worked hard to ensure staff from across the whole business are on board and engaged with the scheme and, as a result, earthbalance is now a central part of our culture at Crown Paints.
‘Our scheme has been recognised for numerous national awards and we believe it’s made a real difference to our environmental credentials as a company. We’re constantly looking for new ways to improve, and the earthbalance scheme will remain a key part of the company ethos.’
A long history of expertise
Established in 1777, Crown has a rich heritage with more than 200 years of paint-making knowledge and skill poured into every tin produced. The royal seal of approval was given in 1949, when Crown received the Royal Warrant. Based in Darwen, Lancashire, with its paint manufacturing done in Hull, there is a growing network of Crown Decorating Centres around the UK and Ireland. For more details about Crown and to explore its range of paints and colours, go to crownpaints.co.uk