Nearly every major house-paint label has added a "green" option to its line, each with reduced amounts of chemicals linked to indoor and outdoor air pollution. Those paints come with zero or very low VOCs, volatile organic compounds that emit toxins even after the paint is dry.
But simply removing the VOCs doesn't necessarily make paint environmentally friendly. One Arizona company is producing paint that's greener in nearly every respect than the big-name brands.
Green Planet Paints was founded in 2000 by Meredith Aronson, a University of Arizona professor and environmental advocate.
"What the paint industry hasn't said to the buying population, because they don't have to disclose their ingredients, is 'Here's what's in it, and here's how you should feel about that,' " Aronson said.
"They are not designing with the notion of the environmental impact of their raw materials. The painting industry today is looking at what happens when it dries."
Most name-brand paints are made of a petroleum-based acrylic base. By federal law, paint must be limited to 5 grams of VOC or less per liter to be called "zero VOC." However, most colorants contain VOCs, so if you buy a zero-VOC base and tint it dark brown, you're adding VOCs. In addition, thickeners and other additives can be harmful.
Green Planet Paints are made with a soy-based resin rather than petroleum-based acrylic and contain fewer additives than most big-label brands. Those additives are plant- or mineral-based and require less energy to produce than synthetic additives.
It also contains more clay than other paints, which creates a velvety, lush texture.
The company was created from the combination of Aronson's scientific background - she has a doctorate in materials science - and love of design and painting.
She worked for six years on the formula, collaborating with a paint chemist in England, before launching her product in 2006. Feedback from designers was enthusiastic. They loved the 42-color palette.
The paint, manufactured in small batches in her hometown of Patagonia, eventually became a problem as she tried to deal with wastewater regulations. Also, the paint was not tint-based, meaning only those 42 colors were available.
So in November, Green Planet Paints will debut a new formula that can be custom tinted, in addition to the 120 premixed colors available. It will be made by a small paint manufacturer in Phoenix.
"It's exciting to be able to keep the whole process in the region," Aronson said. "In the paint industry, there's huge consolidation, putting little regional companies out of business."
Although Aronson has been committed to creating an environmentally friendly product from the beginning, American consumers are just starting to come around to understanding how important it is to be "green" throughout the entire process.
"As beautiful as those paint finishes are, so soft and phenomenal, what the consumer wants is to open a can of paint, put it on the wall and know it will stay there even if their kid writes on it with a marker," she said.
"As people become more sophisticated in their way of understanding, they'll ask what's in paint, and why, and how they can make decisions about buying it."
Green Planet Paints has reduced the price of its existing paint by 25 percent on its Web site, www.greenplanetpaints .com, as it prepares to introduce the new paint. A gallon costs $31 to $34 depending on color.
The new product will cost about $41 a gallon and, in addition to being available on the Web site, will be sold at aka Green Eco-Friendly Building Center, 8100 E. Indian School Road, Scottsdale, 480-946-9600, www.akagreen.com; and EcoClean, 2828 N. 36th St., Phoenix, 480-947-5286, www.ecoclean-az.com.
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