Addressing Environmental Issues Proactively

For years, the paint and coatings industry has aggressively looked for strategies to produce products in an environmentally conscious way, without compromising product performance.

In 1996, the National Paint and Coatings Association (NPCA) established the Coatings Care® program, designed to provide members of the industry with a consistent set of practices for managing health, safety, and environmental responsibilities. Coatings Care® addresses issues affecting Manufacturing Management, Product Stewardship, Community Responsibility, Transportation and Distribution, and Security. The program is now recognized internationally, and has been adopted by the International Paint and Printing Ink Council, which represents the paint and printing ink industry in nine countries.

The U.S. paint and coatings industry has also partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), through NPCA, as a participant in EPA’s Sector Strategies Program, to seek out cost-effective methods for minimizing industry’s impact on the environment.

Here is a short list of our environmental successes:

  • 97% of all waste solvents from paint and coatings manufacturing facilities are reclaimed for future use.
  • Emissions from hazardous air pollutants were reduced by 53% between 1994 and 2003.
  • In just five years, the quantity of VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions resulting from the use of paint and coatings products declined by approximately 10%.
  • 82% of architectural coatings sales are environmentally preferable water-based paint.
  • The paint and coatings manufacturing sector accounted for less than 1% of the hazardous waste generated nationally in 2003.

 

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2006 Sector Strategies Performance Report.