Sustainability: External Links
Any search of the internet using terms Paint and Environment will reveal thousands of sites. In this section we have listed some of those that we have found especially useful. Any suggestion regarding sites that should be included will be welcome. Please send the appropriate link to PRA Technical Services.
British Coatings Federation (BCF)
The BCF is the Trade Association of the UK paint and ink industry and has as its main objectives the promotion and protection of the legitimate interests of all its members and the prosperity of the industry. It provides a forum for the UK coatings industry to discuss issues and formulate ideas and it also lobbies the UK government and international authorities with the aim of influencing the course of legislation.
BCF and PRA are entirely separate but complementary organisations that work closely together. The main difference between them is that PRA is an international organisation whereas BCF represents the UK based industry. Another difference is that PRA, unlike BCF has research and technical laboratory facilities.
The importance that BCF attaches to environment matters is evidenced by the prominence given to this subject on the website and the BCF Coatings Care Programme pages detail its work in this area.
The FAQ section provides a wealth of useful information on matters such as dealing with old lead paint, VOCs, selecting environmentally friendly coatings and safe paint disposal.
The BCF also offer modular, on-line training programmes. These distance learning modules complement nicely the lecture/laboratory courses available at PRA. BCF offer SafetyNet, a CD ROM based programme which provides an excellent grounding in health and safety matters for newcomers to the industry as well as more senior staff who would benefit from a refresher.
Although it is not specifically an environmental database, no mention of the BCF site would be complete without reference to their Product Selector. Clicking, for example, on links like animal cage or toy paints gives you full contact details of UK manufacturers. It is an astoundingly useful information source and worth a visit if only to acquaint yourself with the wide range of paints that are now available.
Community RePaint
The average UK householder has 17 containers of waste paint stored in sheds and garages and this national stockpile is of the order of 100 million litres. An initiative going back several years and involving, among others, ICI and B & Q resulted in the formation of Community Re>Paint. This is an extremely innovative and practical waste minimisation scheme which involves collecting the waste paint, sorting and storing it and then redistributing it free of charge to local charities, community groups and others in need.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA)
Although this is a complex website it has a good search facility and keywords such as paint, lead, VOC or solvent will often reveal publications of interest. The site contains a number of advisory documents relating to environmental matters, one example being the Green Claims Code which draws attention to the International Standard on Environmental Claims ISO 14021.
The Green Consumer Guide
This site provides useful information on environmental matters in general. If, for example, you select the link Home Improvement, you will find information about paints and paint strippers. It is in the interest of the coatings industry to be aware of this site since it provides a useful insight into how paints and similar products are viewed by their more environmentally conscious customers.
