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Ecosense to Debut in UK

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Dulux Ecosense, designed in cooperation with Forum for the Future, is scheduled to roll out in the U.K. in March with half the carbon and water footprint of standard paint, says manufacturer ICI Paints AkzoNobel.

The rollout caps a three-year collaboration by the nonprofit Forum for the Future, the paint maker and construction group Carillion, a major user of paint.

“We studied the entire lifecycle of paint, from raw materials through manufacturing to use and disposal, to find ways to make it more sustainable,” the Forum said in a statement. Its “Paint the Town Green” report details the innovations that came out of the project and the commercial benefits they achieved.

The project, which ended in 2009, has also built its partners’ capacity to innovate sustainably by introducing staff to new methods, developing internal collaboration and building networks across the product life cycle.

“The project has enabled ICI Paints AkzoNobel to make rapid improvements in the sustainability of its paints,” the parties reported. Dulux Ecosense is a new paint line that boasts half the carbon and water footprint of the standard paint the company sold in 2008 and creates 40% less waste. AkzoNobel’s Ecosure trade paint won the “Green Product” category in the 2009 Green Business Awards.

The paint maker has also launched a number of products and services that save energy, resources and waste, Forum for the Future reported:.

• Improved cans that use less plastic and are easier to clean and recycle.

• A recycling scheme in which vehicles delivering paint to Dulux Decorator Centres bring back used cans.

• A mobile brush and roller cleaning station for building sites. Instead of pouring contaminated water down the drains, it is captured for reuse with the paint residue filtered out.

• Manufacturing improvements that save millions of liters of water used in cleaning production equipment.

“By studying the entire life cycle of paint, we’ve found many ways to make it more sustainable and gain competitive advantage,” said David Brunt, global environment and sustainability director for ICI Paints AkzoNobel. “We are seizing these opportunities by launching eco-friendly paints, lighter packaging, new recycling services and other innovations.”

Founded in 1996, Forum for the Future is an independent, non-profit organization with a mission to promote sustainable development. Its partner organizations include BP and Pepsi Co., as well as AkzoNobel.