How to choose your ecological paint ?

For pragmatists

We spend 80% of our time inside our homes, where the air is more polluted than outside! Conventional paints, which emit more than 22% volatile organic compounds or VOCs, contribute to indoor air pollution. They impact on the quality of the air we breathe at home, causing illness, respiratory problems and allergies.

Choosing an eco-friendly paint is a wise choice to protect our health and the environment.

Advantages

Respectful of your health
Environmentally friendly
Let’s walls breathe
Washable and antimicrobial

Disadvantages

Longer drying time
Short shelf life once opened
Slightly more limited range of colours

Types of eco-friendly paint

Biosourced paint is the only truly ecological paint. It is a natural vegetable or mineral paint derived from biomass. On the market, the indicator is the % of biosourced resin. The paint is considered to be 95% biosourced.
This is paint that can be prepared at home.
Ecological’ paint, with low or no VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). Most of these paints are still made from petrochemical ingredients.
Pollution-removing paint. It would appear that they are capable of capturing the pollutants present in our interiors, transforming them and rendering them harmless.

Labels to help you make your choice

Note that there are brands offering eco-friendly paints that are not labelled. The label represents a significant cost.

The most important thing is to take a good look at the composition of your paint.

In a world where ecological awareness is becoming more and more important, choosing ecological paint is a wise choice to protect your health and the environment. Avoiding products containing harmful substances and favouring those made from renewable and certified resources is becoming essential.

In recent years there has been a boom in so-called ‘healthy’ paint brands, even decontaminating paints!

How to choose the right paint?

Let's talk about the basics: what is paint made of?

Paint is a mixture of different chemical or natural components. It contains :

The binder (25-30%) (or resin) which, as the name suggests, binds the components together and ensures adhesion and determines the finish of the plaster. The best known synthetic binder is acrylic, but we can also use beeswax or egg yolk.
The solvent (45-60%) completely dissolves the binder, makes the paint fluid and easy to apply.
Pigments (15-25%) give colour and optical properties to the paint.
Additives (0-5%), which can give the paint additional properties: fungicide, anti-mould, etc.

2. Composition of different types of paint

Glycero paint

Solvant: OIL (petrochemical)
Binder: Glycerophthalic (petrochemical)

Acrylic paint

Solvent: WATER
Binder: Acrylic (petrochemical)

Alkyde paint

Solvent: WATER
Binder: Glycerophthalic (petrochemical)

Bio-based paint

Solvant: WATER
Binder: Plant-based resin

3. Eco-friendly paints: beware of confusion!

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The Challenges

We spend 80% of our time inside our homes, where the air is more polluted than outside! Conventional paints, which emit more than 22% volatile organic compounds (VOCs), contribute to indoor air pollution. They have an impact on the quality of the air we breathe at home, causing illness, respiratory problems and allergies.

In addition to VOCs, recent studies show the impact of alkylphenol ethoxylates (APE) and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE), used as surfactants in acrylic paints, on health (endocrine disruptors) and the environment.

Always choose paints with the A+ label

When the label says ‘VOC-free’, it means that there are less than 5g of VOCs per litre of paint, not that there are no VOCs at all.
A natural paint must contain at least 95% natural products.
Note: VOC emissions are most dangerous 3 days after the paint has been applied. That's why you need to ventilate as much as possible.
Matt paints contain fewer VOCs than satin or gloss paints.

These chemical substances present in paints also have an impact on ecosystems. Firstly, through their manufacturing process, and also through the management of residues that can contaminate waterways, fauna and flora.

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Advantages

Ecological paints are good for your health and the environment! They are odourless and harmless because they contain no heavy metals or solvents. They considerably reduce the use of allergenic ingredients and VOC emissions. They can be disposed of with household waste without any special precautions.

Thanks to its mineral binders, it will also allow the surface to breathe (yes, your walls need to breathe too!), guaranteeing good indoor air quality.

The natural pigments give intensity and vibrancy to the colours.

Finally, they're washable and antimicrobial by nature, so they'll last over time.

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Disadvantages

The choice of colours is more limited, although there is something for everyone if you shop around.

Application can be more difficult and drying time is longer.

Once opened, the paint can only be stored for a few weeks.

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Different types

Biosourced paint is a natural plant-based paint made from biomass. It is obtained by mixing :
- Binder : Resins of plant origin (algae/fibre/plant) or mineral origin (lime/marble powder/clay/silica, ...)
- Solvent: Water, turpentine, vegetable oil
- Mineral pigments extracted from coloured earth

Note that commercial bio-based paints are rarely 100% bio-based. The indicator is the % of biobased resin. The paint is considered to be 95% biobased.

Biosourced paint is the only truly ‘ecological’ paint. It meets a number of requirements in terms of respect for the environment. It must have no environmental impact, from the raw materials through to manufacture and end of life.

This paint can be made at home. Recipes are easy to find on the internet.

So-called ‘ecological’ paints are acrylic paints with a low VOC content or ‘VOC-free’. They are less toxic but are still essentially made from petrochemical ingredients and contain other materials that are (potentially) dangerous to health and the environment.

To help you find your way around, and to try and avoid ‘Green Washing’, a number of labels have been introduced for both eco-friendly and bio-based paints:

The European Ecolabel looks at the entire life cycle of a product. For paint, it ensures that the VOC content is less than 30g/l, and that there are no toxic or carcinogenic substances. It also allows only 5% of the product to be harmful to the environment.

Ecocert issues the Peinture Nature label, which guarantees the 100% natural origin of paint components.

The Blue Angel is the strictest label.

These labels ensure compliance with health and environmental protection regulations. In particular, they limit or prohibit the use of toxic products.

Note that there are brands offering ecological paints that are not labelled. The label represents a significant cost.