Improve paint lifetime

One of the most important aspects is a lifetime cost analysis of the best environmentally-performing products. The paint performance is a key component of the eco-efficiency of paint, maximizing its environmental benefits, while reducing the ecological burden.

When developing and marketing sustainable paint products, physical and functional properties of the products have to be analysed in order to justify the economic viability of choosing a sustainable product.

Paint lifetime analysis shows that such factors as high performance, good coverage and excellent durability prevent wasteful and inefficient use of energy and resources leading to excellent product lifecycle management. The main considerations for calculating the lifecycle costs are the following¹:

Cost of purchasing and delivery (e.g. cost per litre of paint or varnish as delivered);
Lifetime performance (number of repaints required to maintain coverage over time);
Application performance (e.g. amount of paint required to cover a given surface area);
Disposal costs (disposal of unused paints);
For outdoor paints: the choice of colour is the dominant factor affecting thermal performance;
For indoor paints: any energy saving from having a lighter painted room and therefore using less artificial light.

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

This analysis is designed to provide a simple overview of the ecolabels in Europe and Green Public Procurement (GPP) requirements towards the criteria influencing the product lifetime. Producers of paint and coating products can choose to apply for an ecolabel in Europe in order to use it for a specific product group or qualify for the participation in the GPP, when certain requirements are met. Groups of indoor, outdoor and floor paints are separated due to KPI (Key Performance Indicators) differences. The analysis covers mainly lifetime and application performance criteria. It should be noted that the GPP criteria are indicative. The EU member states have the rights to apply and adjust them individually.

Updated on the 9th August, 2021

	EU Green public procurement criteria (2018)¹	EU EcoLabel (2018)²	Nordic Swan (2021)³	Blue Angel (2019)⁴
Indoor
Wet scrub resistance [EN13300 and EN ISO 11998]	1st-2nd class	1st-2nd class	1st-2nd class	1st-3rd class
Paint spreding rate required [ISO 6504/1]	>8m²/L	>8m²/L	>8m²/L	Must not be ≥ 1m² /L higher than the specified coverage capacity
Outdoor
Paint spreding rate required [ISO 6504/1]	>6m²/L	>6m²/L (masonry paint); >4m²/L (elastomeric paint)	-	Must not be ≥ 1m² /L higher than the specified coverage capacity
Weathering resistance [EN ISO 11507/ EN 927-6]	Decrease of gloss: Less than or equal to 30% of its initial value, chalking 1,5 or less (0,5 or 1,0). Flaking: flake density 2 or less, flake size 2 or less. Cracking: flake density 2 or less, flake size 2 or less, blister density 3 or less, blister size 3 or less, rusting equal to or better than Ri2	Color change ΔΕ* < 4, decrease of gloss <30% (only for glossy paint), Chalking score shall be ≤1.5	Flake density and size <2, color change ΔΕ* < 4, crack quantity <2, crack size<3, blister quantity and size <3, decrease of gloss <30% (only for glossy paint), Chalking score shall be ≤1.5	-
Fungal and algal resistance	Fungal resistance class 1 or lower, algal resistance score 0 [EN 15457 and/or EN15458]	Class 1 or lower (1 or 0) for fungal resistance (less than 10 % fungal coverage) and a score of class 1 or lower for algal resistance. Wood paints shall have a score of 0 for fungal resistance and 0 for algal resistance [Fungal - EN 15457; Algal - EN15458]	Products intended for mineral substrates must achieve a score of 2 (under 10% fungal growth) or better, as established in BS 3900:G6 or equivalent. Products intended for wood are to be tested according to EN-927-3 or equivalent. No detectable defects (class 0) and no defects visible under 10 times magnification (class 0) according to EN ISO 4628-1	Biotest: The curative effect of the biocide in the paint/varnish at the added concentration is verified if the cell count is ≤ 1000 CFU/ml at the end of the test. The effectiveness of a tested biocide cannot be verified if the cell count in the biocide-free varnish after inoculation is < 1000 CFU/ml at the end of the test.
Water vapour permability [EN ISO 7783]	-	Class 2 or better	Class 2 or better	-
Liquid water permability [EN 1062-3]	-	Class 3 or better	Class 3 or better	-
Floor paints
Abrasion resistance [EN ISO 7784-2:2006]	<70 mg weight loss after 1000 test cycles with a 1000 g load and a CS10 wheel	Floor paints, floor coatings and other products subject to an equivalent level of wear must have an abrasion resistance not exceeding 70 mg weight loss after 1000 test cycles with a 1000 g load and a CS10 wheel	Floor paints, floor coatings and other products subject to an equivalent level of wear must have an abrasion resistance not exceeding 70 mg weight loss after 1000 test cycles with a 1000 g load and a CS10 wheel	-

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.