Consider the life cycle

The results of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) can be a helpful tool for the decision makers in order to choose more sustainable options. This method allows assessing the environmental impacts associated with all stages of the product life cycle.

Cradle-to-gate approach is most commonly used for the life cycle assessment of a paint product. It takes into account all life cycle stages, from raw material extraction up to the distribution of the final product. Other alternatives, such as Cradle-to-grave and Cradle-to-cradle, are more complex.

When developing new paint and coating formulations and products for the market, it is important to be aware of the requirements associated with life cycle assessment. It may affect raw material choice, partnerships for raw material sourcing, distribution and sales strategy as well as packaging and other product aspects.

A comprehensive case study by VTT¹

VTT Building Technology examined the environmental impact of exterior coating systems. The objective of the study was to outline the service life systematics of coated exterior claddings with regard to the environmental assessment. The functional unit in the LCA was one square metre of coated exterior cladding during a 100 year service life in outdoor exposure in Finland. Such aspects as the production of coating raw materials and coatings, transportation, application, maintenance and renewal of the coating during the 100 years, including its recycling and final disposal, were covered.

Based on the review of the identified LCAs described above, the following conclusions can be made²:

Solvent-based paints in general have higher environmental impact than water-based paints.
Extended life of a product was the main factor that contributed to the environmental benefit of the paint.
The impact of transportation is negligible.
Solvent-based paints can lead to a ten-fold increase in the release of VOCs compared to water-based paints.
Using more than 10% TiO2 in the paint products leads to the most significant increase of the environmental impact.
Manufacturing impacts were vague within all examined studies.
Due to the lack of inventory data on paint fillers, pigments and additives, the assessment of the environmental impact of these components was largely incomplete.

How do the ecolabels in Europe and the practice of Green Public Procurement (GPP) regulate life cycle assessment of paint and coating products?

This analysis is designed to give a simple overview of the ecolabels in Europe and Green Public Procurement (GPP) requirements towards product life cycle assessment criteria. We suggest using raw material extraction, material manufacture, product manufacture, stage of the product use and its end of life as criteria for evaluating how supportive are ecolabels in Europe and GPP requirements. The following colors are used to indicate the corresponding level of the life cycle assessment criteria:

- not applicable

- partially applicable

- fully applicable

Updated on the 9th August, 2021

	EU Green public procurement criteria (2018)	EU EcoLabel (2018)	Nordic Swan (2021)	Blue Angel (2019)
Raw material extraction
Raw material manufacture
Paint product manufacture
Paint use stage
End-of-life

Paints For Life do not take any responsibility for the accuracy of the information collected and represented in the table. To make sure the information is correct, please visit data sources indicated below.

The analysis and assessment in the table is based on the following conclusions:

Raw material extraction - None of the selected standards contain information on the extraction of raw materials.
Material manufacture - The EU Green Public Procurement criteria do not contain information on paint material manufacturing. EU EcoLabel, Nordic Swan and Blue Angel request submitting documents in relation to the manufacturing of TiO2, if the product contains more than 3,0% w/w titanium dioxide, where the emissions and discharges of waste from any titanium dioxide pigment manufacturing are not allowed to exceed certain units.
Paint product manufacture - All standards define the parameters to be followed in the product development process, such as limit values for white pigment content in paints, limit values for volatile organic compounds in the final product, labelling of the final product, limit values for hazardous ingredients in the product. As regards the quality requirements of the final product, all standards require characterization parameters depending on the type of product (indoor, outdoor, etc.).
Paint use stage - According to the EU Green Public Procurement criteria, technical information and guidance on the execution of construction works involving methods and guidance on paint preparation, including estimation of application per m², optimal conditions for product storage and use, risk mitigation measures to reduce environmental pollution and appropriate disposal of unused paint should be provided. The EU Ecolabel recommends providing information on paint consumption before the paint is purchased thus allowing to calculate the required amount of paint and reducing paint waste, and as well as on appropriate paint storage conditions (before and after opening). Nordic Swan recommends specifying the application objective, which includes recommendations on how to prepare the base, paint consumption, recommendations on how to store the product after opening. Blue Angel information on the procedures for the paint use stage was not found.
End-of-life - According to the EU Green Public Procurement Criteria, the waste management plan is mandatory. It should include methods for safe paint removal, equipment cleaning and waste, and the treatment and disposal of unused paint, as well as measures to reduce waste and the amount of unused paint. Nordic Swan recommends indicating how much product is left as well as disposing the paint packaging materials. In all these documents it is recommended to indicate the paint consumption that would reduce unnecessary product purchases, thus minimising waste.