Coatings World - November 2008

registered to be certified.”

Green Globes is another green building rating and assessment system that was first developed in Canada in 2000. The Green Globes System was introduced to the U.S. in 2005 and is administered by the Green Building Initiative and is similar to LEED in that both systems use online tools that allow projects to earn points for green and sustainable development practices. However, NPCA said that Green Globes is gaining in popularity as an alternative to LEED because it is generally viewed as more directly applicable, practical and feasible for industry compliance.

Also on the regulatory front, NPCA recently formed a Green Standard Work Group that is comprised of nearly 50 individuals representing various member companies after it learned that there were revisions being made to the LEED rating system in 2008 that affected the paint industry.

Specifically there is a credit for paints and coatings in the LEED rating systems—Indoor Environmental Quality Credit 4.2—which pertains to reducing the quantity of VOCs for architectural paints, coatings and primers applied to interior walls and ceilings established by Green Seal GS- 11 Paints Standard, which was recently revised to meet lower VOC requirements.

Green Seal is the premier independent ecolabel in the U.S., having certified more than 2,700 products and services, and is to products what LEED is to buildings, according to NPCA. In response to what NPCA calls the “overly stringent” revised Green Seal GS- 11 Paints Standard, NPCA and its Green Standards Work Group maintain that the indoor air quality impact of coatings should be limited to the time of application and drying and is not a factor for eventual building occupants.

THE ROLE OF PAINT & COATINGS IN GREEN BUILDING While the economic slowdown has taken its toll on U.S. paint makers with fewer cars and trucks being built and fewer new buildings under construction, the green building sector offers opportunity for growth. Led by NPCA, the paint and coatings industry has become very active in the green building arena since the construction sector is a major outlet for its products.

Increasingly, the use of low-emitting paints is being identified by builders as one way to gain an “easy credit” in the LEED rating system that will help them minimize the environmental footprint of a construction project.

“With the push for more LEED certified buildings the demand for approved paint products continues to grow,” said Jeff Spillane, senior manager for product development, Benjamin Moore. “While the slowdown in the economy and both the residential and commercial construction business has adversely impacted all new construction, the demand for green products has not slowed down. Benjamin Moore’s original Eco Spec product sales have realized double-digit growth since its introduction.”

Paint and coating systems play a relatively small— accounting for just one point in LEED ratings systems—but very important role in the green building process, according to Rocky Prior, president, Mythic Paint. “Why build a green home only to put a coating on the wall that pollutes the air

you breathe?” Prior asked. “The key to the trend of eliminating VOCs and odor is to maintain performance.”

“It is hard to imagine a green building that didn’t have green coatings because it is one of the easiest things to get right—and its one of the first things that the people who use that building will notice about it,” said Craig Mitchell, marketing manager, Celanese Emulsions. “One need only look at the plethora of ‘green certified’ labels on construction products—paint included—to understand where the market is heading.”

“From a consumers’ point of view, paint is the most visible aspect of a building,” said David Faherty, vice president of marketing, Troy Corp. “Paint and coatings make up a large amount of exterior and interior surface of new buildings and therefore can make a substantial contribution to air quality.”

“Paint and coating systems are integral to the idea of green building because high performance is expected,” added Silke Anthony, associate product manager, Sto Corp. “Products that last longer contribute to an overall sustainable environment. Quality coatings will not suffer from color fading, blistering, cracking or delamination, chalking, efflorescence, mildew and dirt build-up, freeze thaw damage or spalling.”

“As sustainability has become a greater driving force in the design and construction of facilities today, one of our first steps has been to focus efforts on reducing our dependence on oil-based raw materials by identifying suitable renewable raw materials such as plasticizers and polyols for use in the formulation of our products,” said Randy Korach, president, Tremco Global Sealants. “The demand for ‘fast track’ construction has also placed demands on our industry for increased productivity while not sacrificing product performance.”

GREEN PAINT TECHNOLOGY

Paint makers are reformulating existing portfolios and launching new ones altogether to comply with regulations. Raw material suppliers have also responded with green chemistry to help their customers in the formulation process.

In November of last year Southern Diversified Products introduced Mythic Paint. The result of over six years of research with polymer research partners at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), the new paint is based on patented technology designed to improve latex paint at its core and has been formulated to offer all of the premium qualities of conventional water-based paints without the need for toxic solvents, according to the company. This means zero VOCs, zero harmful toxins released into the air and no unpleasant odor when painting. This line includes a primer and flat ceiling paint in addition to flat, eggshell, semi-gloss and exterior satin varieties and uses a proprietary toxin-free coloring system and MatchRite Color Matching Software.

Benjamin Moore is in the process of introducing Natura. “It is the greenest zero VOC interior paint on the market today,” said Spillane. “Natura is tinted with Benjamin Moore’s proprietary all waterborne zero VOC colorant system. This allows both residential and commerical customers to specify any color without any compromise in quality and performance.”