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Posts Tagged ‘Green’

The search for better ways to use green products, methods and technology leads facility managers to painting strategies that not only consider the welfare of the environment and incurs lesser costs, but at the same time still maintain high quality paint performance. Some of these paints and coatings practices are the application of a second coating that not only requires little surface preparation, but guarantees longer life to the building and stronger protection against daily wear-and-tear. Another is proper paint storage and disposal to extend usefulness of paint for future projects. Another is the careful measurement of the area to be painted so that only the right amount of paint will be purchased, eliminating the cost of extra and unused paint. Lastly, there is the use of recycled paint as a greener option. Any water-based and latex paint can be recycled. For latex paints, recycling is done either through re-blending or reprocessing. Reprocessing includes the addition of new components to the recycled paint, making the paint available in more tints and a wider range of applications. For recycled paint sources, facility managers often turn to paint and coatings dealers who have passed certifications standards Another benefit is lesser costs due mainly to lower expenses, zero waste disposal costs, and lower transportation costs (because recycled paint is produced locally). A performance and price comparison of recycled and non-recycled paints confirmed the economic and environmental viability of the former.

Painting contractors know that paint and coatings play a crucial role in the green building trend sweeping the nation today. Because of the decline in construction brought about by the financial crisis, the green building idea is taking root and getting wider attention from construction stakeholders who not only appreciate a non-polluting and environment-friendly method of construction, but also welcome the significant cost reductions to construction projects. The construction industry’s interest in green building projects challenges paint manufacturers and their raw material suppliers to ingeniously produce environment-friendly paint products and materials that comply with environment standards without sacrificing quality performance. The products are now populating the market, ready to be used by painting contractors in many facility projects. Environment-Friendly Paints and Coatings The result of paint manufacturers’ paint reformulation efforts is apparent in the wide array of green paints that painting contractors can chose from. One product is a result of many years of polymer research leading to a new and improved latex paint that eliminates the use of toxic solvents. The presence of VOCs or volatile organic compounds is also a major environmental problem in regular paints. To address this problem, paint manufacturers make it one of their stringent goals to develop new products that contain little to zero VOCs. Green Raw MaterialsRaw material suppliers have also been busy researching and formulating green materials. A new line of emulsion polymers, for instance, help paint manufacturers develop low-VOC and low-odor paints without the aid of detrimental coalescents.

Despite the current economic crisis that plunges the construction business ever downward, the “green building” trend is taking off. Even when new construction projects are in a decline, there is increasing interest in green building methods and materials. Building owners want to save on construction and post-construction costs and are becoming increasingly aware that once the building is operational, tremendous cost-savings will come in the form of lesser utility bills and maintenance costs. As a result of this mindset, the U. S. Green Building Council (USGBC) estimates an average return on investment of 20% on green buildings. For building owners and occupants, cost is not the only advantage of a green building. Increased health and safety is also a major benefit. The reduction of natural resources consumption needed to operate the building, as well as the lesser amount of pollution that the building is giving off, are also important aspects in sustainability. For commercial painting contractors, the demand for greener buildings cascades down to the demand for greener paints and coatings, raising the need for paint and coating products that are not only providing beauty and protection, but also help create an environmentally- safe environment. In response to the growing demand for environmentally-safe building products, paint manufacturers have been redesigning their existing paint formulations and developing new paints that are eco-friendly and compliant to environment standards and regulations. Even raw material providers have been teaming up with paint makers to further advance the “green” paint technology. A Forest of Green PaintsOne product of the “green” trend is a latex paint reformulation that removes toxic solvents in the manufacturing process, releasing zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and toxins to the environment. Another advancement in paint is a water-repellent exterior coating that prevents dirt particles from adhering to the painted surface, making cleaning and re-coating projects easier and more economical. Raw material paint suppliers have also joined the green initiative by enhancing the properties of emulsion polymers to allow the production of low-VOC, low-odor, APE-free, UV-resistant paints without the need for harmful coalescent agents. Another breakthrough in coating enhancement speeds up paint application time and reduces wastage, thereby lessening serious health risks to commercial painting contractors. Yet another is the development of IR reflective pigments that reduce heat transfer in surfaces, resulting to heating and cooling cost reductions. Green Construction CertificationsDictated largely by the growing awareness of consumers over eco-friendly buildings and materials, the momentum is encouraging commercial painting contractors towards qualification tests and certifications that ensure their compliance to environment-safety standards. Currently, the U. S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings systems is the most popular basis for defining the standards of a “green building”. LEED looks at various factors such as energy and water usage of a building, the source and quality of building materials used in construction, as well as the overall quality of the building environment. The LEED system allows point earnings for green and sustainable projects, be they new or existing constructions, or commercial or residential in nature. Since 1990, LEED has rated nearly 3. 9 billion square feet of commercial property or 7% of the commercial construction market, and the figures are still increasing. For residential projects, LEED has certified around 1,000 properties out of 13,000 that have been registered so far, according to USGBC figures. LEED also has a specific rating system for paints and coatings, the Indoor Environmental Quality Credit 4. 2, that focuses on reducing VOCs in architectural paints, coatings and primers. The goal of the rating system for paints is to accredit high-performance paints that have low-emission capabilities, leaving as little environment damage as possible.