Best "Green" Interior Paint for Your New Environmental Law Office
Businesses that practice what they preach gain trust in their communities. If you run an environmental law firm, then your actions should reflect your commitment to sustainability and preservation. When your law office requires a fresh coat of paint, you’ll want to think twice before choosing just any brand or type of paint. Indeed, while most major paint products contain far fewer chemicals than they once did, some paints are more eco-friendly than others. Whether or not you actually plan on painting your walls the color green, here’s how to select “green” interior paint for your environmental law office.
What to Know About Environmentally Friendly Paint
What Makes a Paint Environmentally Friendly?
First, let’s clarify why some paints are better or worse for the environment than others. There are three primary factors to consider when selecting a sustainable product for interior painting, and they’re all interconnected: volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odors, and ingredients. VOCs are chemicals that give off a harsh, harmful odor (such as formaldehyde, benzene, glycol, etc.), and they can be found in many paint products at varying levels. In abundance, these compounds can lead to health issues among humans and pollute the wider environment. So, the most environmentally friendly paints are those that contain few, if any, VOCs (and therefore minimal odor). VOCs aside, “green” paints are also composed of more sustainable ingredients. These ingredients include water- and plant-based substances.
Eco-Friendly Labels to Look For
Fortunately, two major independent organizations in the U.S. make it much easier for consumers and commercial painters to identify eco-friendly paints than before. The first label, Green Seal®, indicates that a flat paint doesn’t contain more than 50 grams per liter of VOCs and that a non-flat paint doesn’t exceed 100 grams per liter of VOCs. Moreover, Green Seal Certified paints have met certain sustainability standards regarding pollution and human health/safety.
The second helpful label is GREENGUARD. Products that adhere to GREENGUARD standards must also not exceed 50 grams of VOCs per liter of paint. This organization goes further to include tiers of certification -- GREENGUARD Gold, for instance, features even stricter requirements. For a paint to achieve this level of certification, it must be deemed safe for even the most vulnerable populations, such as children and the elderly.
Caveats about Natural Paint Composition
It’s common to conflate the terms “eco-friendly” and “natural.” In truth, though, paints that contain non-synthetic ingredients aren’t necessarily sustainable. Paints that are partially composed of animal-based ingredients may have undergone unethical testing to bring to market or harm ecosystems in other ways. Milk-based paint, for instance, is often deemed unsustainable due to its placement in the chain of cow farming, which contributes to increasing greenhouse gases that affect the overall climate. If you’re looking for a paint with natural ingredients, then, aim for those composed of plants that are sustainably cultivated and harvested. Professional commercial interior painting services can help you find the right product for your environmental law office.
The Importance of “Going Green” with Interior Paint
So, why “go green” when it comes to commercial interior painting in the first place? For one thing, if you’re in the business of protecting the environment, it should be clear why you would aim for more sustainable practices at every level. Even if your business isn’t directly tied to environmental protection, however, there are many reasons to prioritize greener practices.
First, consider your office’s indoor air quality. VOC-laden paints can significantly decrease a building’s indoor air quality according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). When exposed to these VOCs, some people can experience headaches, nausea, and more serious health concerns such as allergic reactions, organ damage, and more.
Second, decreasing the number of toxins in the environment is a net good for everyone both inside and outside your business. The more businesses that focus on reducing their carbon footprint, the less of a negative impact we as a species have on the environment at large.
And lastly, “going green” is great for a business’ reputation. While this might not be the best reason to adopt more eco-friendly practices, it’s certainly a nice perk for businesses looking to bolster their standing in the community and attract more clients and customers.
Green Is More than a Great Paint Color
At Anderson Painting, we, like many of our clients, are committed to protecting the environment and promoting health and safety, which is why we do our part by using sustainable paint products for interior and exterior applications alike. To learn more about us and all we do, call today at 919-610-1855 or email us at info@andersonpaintingnc.com!
