What Is Green Seal Certification? or
The Many Shades of Green Paint Certification
By Paulette Rossi
According to the June 2007 issue of Consumer Reports magazine, when it comes to painting, 85% of us buy the same brand of paint over and over again. We assume if we have good results with one brand of paint there is no reason to change. Consumer Reports explains that the products that come out on top one year might not come out on top another year because formulations change.
Buying certified paint is another way to select paint. Certification is widely used to differentiate products and get power in the marketplace. But the standards and testing that stand behind various certifications vary.
Self-certification entails no external verification of product claims. Second party certification occurs when an affiliated group such as a trade organization makes qualitative claims about a product. Third party certification comes when accredited independent auditors use established standards and testing procedures to endorse a product.
Consumers are more likely to trust third party certifications.
Green Seal™
Green Seal, founded in 1989, is a non-profit organization not affiliated with any product or service. Green Seal’s standard-setting process is an open, transparent collaboration between industry, academia, government, and end-users. Green Seal standards are consensus based.
The standards are periodically reviewed to reflect technological improvements that can produce a more sustainable product. As Green Seal states, “We have many built-in checks that ensure we are unbiased, realistic, and that the products we certify reach high levels of performance and quality.”
Any company applying for a Green Seal pays an upfront fee. The product or service is then evaluated against the appropriate Green Seal environmental and performance criteria.
Companies applying for Green Seal must keep extensive records documenting their production practices. Quality controls are checked by a site visit to the manufacturing plant to ensure that the tested product is representative of future products. Certified products are monitored on an annual basis to ensure that the products continue to meet the Green Seal standard.
The standard for new paint, GS-11, was first established in 1993 and is currently being reviewed for possible revision. The GS-43 standard for recycled paint was issued in 2006. The major differences between the GS-11 standard and GS-43 standard have to do with feedstock.
Manufacturers of new paint start with a formula and follow it. Following the formula helps to ensure consistency of product. For Green Seal approval, the paint must be low-VOC (50 g/l for untinted flat interior paint). It cannot contain harmful compounds or heavy metals. Currently, the paint must be tested for scrubability, hiding power, and washability. If the formula or process changes, the paint must be retested to continue Green Seal certification.
Recycled paint has feedstock made up of all the useable latex paint formulas minus those with harmful additives. The standard for recycled paint requires strict adherence to sorting procedures to ensure only safe, good quality leftover paint is used, no harmful ingredients are added, the paint is filtered using a 300 micron or finer filtration system, and the paint is tested four times a year to ensure it meets the Master Painters Institute performance standards for new paint.
In the past, environmentally friendly products often did not perform as well as conventional products. The Green Seal logo on a product assures consumers that the product or service has been evaluated for its environmental merit and performance, using state-of-the art, internationally accepted, scientific evaluation methods.
Miller, Rodda, MetroPaint
Northwest Renovation interviewed three local paint manufacturers that have the Green Seal Certification: Paul Sawyer of Miller Paint, Todd Braden of Rodda Paint, and Jim Quinn of MetroPaint. Miller Paint and Rodda Paint have earned the Green Seal certification on paint products meeting the GS-11 standard for virgin (new) paint. MetroPaint, made by Metro Regional Government, has earned the Green Seal following the GS-43 standard for recycled (consolidated) paint.
Which locally produced paint products have the Green Seal?
Miller: Miller has Green Seal approval (GS-11) on our Acro line of interior wall paints. Acro is a zero-VOC product line that is made in four sheens: flat, eggshell, satin, and semi-gloss.
Rodda: Our entire Horizon line of interior and exterior paint product exceeded the Green Seal GS-11 specification for coatings. Rodda introduced Horizon in 1995.
MetroPaint: MetroPaint has the Green Seal certification GS-43. It is a [consolidated] latex paint made out of the best paint that we receive. It comes in over fifteen colors and produces an eggshell finish on interior or exterior surfaces.
What makes a Green Seal certified paint different from a non-certified paint?
Miller: Green Seal certification provides a third party confirmation that a product meets standards that promote sustainability. Green Seal visits the manufacturing plant to verify that the facility is an environmentally responsible site. They examine the formulas of certified products to make sure no hazardous chemicals are included. They also have performance standards for washability and stain resistance.
Rodda: The Green Seal provides independent proof that Horizon paint, a low-odor paint and no-VOC paint, is safer for the environment and better for the people who will be around the paint. Green Seal only promotes products that that cause less toxic pollution and waste, conserve resources and habitats, and minimize global warming and ozone depletion.
MetroPaint: The Green Seal certification means that MetroPaint has been passed by an independent organization for compliance with a standard that has a variety of requirements for production methods, quality control, and performance testing. To be awarded the Green Seal means the paint has good performance and environmental merit.
Does the paint perform as well as non-certified paint?
Miller: The performance of a certified product vs. a non-certified product depends on the products and the definition that you have for performance. The GS certification is a benchmark. There are products that are designed for specific performance characteristics that may not meet all the GS requirements, but they have excellent performance qualities for the designed purpose.
Rodda: In important tests such as hide and scrubability, Horizon’s performance is equal or better than many of Rodda’s best interior and exterior paints. All Horizon products contain agents which inhibit the growth of mold and mildew on the surface of the paint film.
MetroPaint: Our recycled paint meets the Master Painters Institute standard for both interior and exterior use. The Master Painters Institute tests paint for performance, and they equate MetroPaint to the same performance as new paint.
What process must a paint company go through before the Green Seal is awarded?
Miller: To obtain approval, a company must submit manufacturing information as well as formula information. Green Seal makes a visit to the manufacturing facility, examines labels and marketing collateral, and reviews the performance testing. When [the paint is] approved, [Green Seal] specifies the correct use of their trademark.
Rodda: To receive the Green Seal, our company submitted our paint formulas and information on our manufacturing process. Green Seal did a site visit. They also checked our labels and marketing materials and reviewed our performance testing. Once certified by Green Seal, we follow their protocol on the use of the registered Green Seal trademark.
MetroPaint: The Green Seal standard for recycled paint grew out of work begun by the Product Stewardship Institute’s Paint working group. We had to submit massive tomes documenting the quality control process we follow to ensure that only useable, safe latex paint is recycled. Our facility was physically monitored by Green Seal and the Master Painters Institute. Paint samples were tested multiple times by the Master Painters Institute.
Who should use Green Seal Certified Paint?
Miller: GS-11 certified paints are low-VOC, and that is good for the environment and for those in it. Less solvent generally means there are fewer odors. It also is a great benefit to those who are sensitive to solvents.
Rodda: Low and no-VOC coatings should be used by everyone any time they can be used. I can’t think of any reason anyone would want to use a more harmful product, especially on their own homes or buildings, when a similarly performing product is available. In the Northwest, we are progressive about doing what is best for our environment, and these types of coatings are the best choice for homes and our families.
MetroPaint: Anyone who wants to conserve natural resources, reduce the creation of greenhouse gases, prevent pollution, and protect habitat should use recycled paint. Anyone who wants to ensure the recycled paint they buy meets performance and production standards should use Green Seal Certified recycled paint, GS-43.
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