Is that a question that even needs to be asked?  I expect you have a very clear definition in your mind; but prod at it gently, is it really that clear?

In with the In Crowd

Last week I went to a great seminar in Brighton on Eco-Innovation held by The Centre for Sustainable Design.  It was great day of interesting talks and some really fascinating people and companies were there; Lush – striving to do good things, frankly I had no idea!  A charity called TrAID, recycling old textiles – their figures state that one third of landfill is taken up with textiles, a shocking statistic; they look to be doing good work.  There was also Brighton’s own Eco Build Guru Oliver Heath, who has completely refurbished his own home to be as environmentally friendly as possible – it looks beautiful and its impact is negligible.  A genuinely inspiring presentation.

Working the room – eek!

As always with this kind of event there is the opportunity to ‘Network’ during the break.  I actually find this pretty uncomfortable, so I was very pleased to see the friendly face of Alex of Bright Green Homes,  (another witty and thought provoking talk).  We chatted and I relaxed and he then introduced me to a painter and decorator, whose firm use only ‘natural paints’.  Interesting stuff, we began chatting.  He had heard of Newlife and said very directly that he felt that we should not be promoting ourselves as an ‘eco’ product, that Newlife Paint was not environmentally friendly at all.  I was shocked.

All morning people had been presenting on how our planet needs us as consumers to be re-using, recycling and rethinking our purchases.   We HAVE to attempt to stop using new raw materials to make new products; let’s reclaim, let’s reuse, let’s recycle… (yay!)

I did point out that a minimum 50% of our raw material is waste paint; that is, we have in effect, taken it out of the bin, (actually the figure is generally more like 90%).  We are saving at this time approximately 100 tonnes of waste per year from landfill, and this figure is rising fast.

By reducing landfill, we are protecting our natural environment; surely that is an ‘eco’ product? Or is it just the process that is ‘eco’ – does that mean the product is not?  Is this just semantics?  (I will add at this point, we are winners of the Environment Agency – Pioneering Technology and Innovation Award and the Sustainable Innovation Award from the British coatings federation – just saying…)

I was not quick on my feet, but after the seminar, this conversation buzzed around my brain. What is the environmental impact of our paint versus ‘natural’ paint.  Often natural paints are manufactured overseas, so lots of travel etc, the resources often have come 1000’s of miles, and with the calcine clay for example, heated to 1000 degrees as part of the manufacturing process.  I could go on, but that would be bitterness creeping out, too ugly.

Get on with it Lucy….

OK, I guess my point is this, no, Newlife Paint is not a totally ‘natural’ product, but we believe it’s impact is so minimal as its raw material is reclaimed or ‘upcycled’ (as I think I am supposed to call it now?).  What we add to our paint to bring it up to top quality, are predominantly natural products, marble, chalk etc.  ‘Natural’ paint products are great, of course they are, but they do have an environmental impact, (one of which being great big holes in the Cornish countryside), and we have to evaluate that when we make purchasing decisions.

Whatever we can reuse and prevent going to landfill is good for our environment, it’s good for our planets ecology, it means we don’t have to take more resources – isn’t that what ‘eco’ means?