Sustainable Paint

Nearly every major paint company has created its own green line, but not all green paints are created equal, says Steele. “Most traditional manufacturers are not paying the level of attention they need to be paying to the development of green materials,” he says. “They are creating a specific, small part of their business that addresses green. Some of that five percent or so is awesome -- any gain is good, but there is greenwashing. They position their marketing to make that five percent look like the 100 percent story about what they are manufacturing.”

He prefers companies that have “invested entirely in these practices,” like an independent line called Mythic, which he says “has zero toxicity, zero carcinogens, and is super high-performance paint.” The line has about 1,200 colors.

The fact that larger companies have began to provide consumers with green alternatives is good progress for the environment, says Steele and other advocates for the green practices. It¹s just important that customers read the fine print to make sure that the products they are getting are the ones with LEED certification or better.

Sustainable Paint is an exert from Going Green: Sustainable Finishes by Tracy Zollinger Turner