An eco-conscious design lover may think about repurposing furniture, upcycling antiques, or whether their appliances can help fight climate change. But the world of eco-paint—and whether the paint you pick for your next room refresh has environmental bona fides—might not readily come to mind.
There isn’t a straightforward definition for what an eco-friendly paint is, according to Jonsara Ruth, cofounder and design director of the Health Materials Lab at Parsons School of Design, where she’s also an interior design professor. But there are chemicals you should steer away from, as well as other manufacturing details to consider, if you’re looking for a greener paint can. Here’s what you need to know.
Why should you use eco-friendly paints?
Petrochemicals—like polymers and vinyls—make up the basis of acrylic paints, a common category of interior paint. That essentially means they’re derived from fossil fuels, which contribute greatly to the climate crisis. But Ruth says the greenhouse gas impact of such paints is just one of several environmental and health-related “red flags.”
If improperly disposed of, tiny pieces of the paint can end up in the water stream and have the potential to end up in our own bodies. “If there’s toxic stuff in the water, [it’s] absorbed into these little particles,” she says. “Then the fish eat them, and then we eat the fish.”
She encourages shoppers to opt for mineral paints over acrylic paints, which she says tend to avoid hazardous materials and chemicals.
What should I seek or avoid in an eco-friendly paint?
Concerning chemicals, like VOCs and APEs
Different groups of chemicals used to bind, blend, or add pigments to paints—like volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and alkylphenol ethoxylates, or APEs—have been linked to or suspected to cause human and environmental health problems, according to the Health Materials Lab, which has a list of paints their researchers say are easy to use but not as harmful as others on the market. Although Ruth explains that some VOCs are naturally occurring, the US Environmental Protection Agency notes that health risks from these chemicals include headaches, nausea, and damage to some internal organs. APEs, meanwhile, are suspected endocrine disrupters, according to the Healthy Building Network. “Darker colors, if they’re synthetic…tend to have higher VOCs because of their chemistry,” Ruth adds.
While modern mineral paints, which include limewash paints, have some additives to prevent them from washing or brushing off the walls, Ruth explains they’re still her preferred choice because there are “few extra ingredients.”
“It’s so much healthier for the environment and better for people,” she says. “Is it perfect? Not exactly, but it’s as good as it gets.”
Labeling transparency
If you can’t afford or don’t have access to paint that is manufactured without hazardous chemicals, Ruth says to look for companies that are voluntarily disclosing which chemicals are in their formulations.