Green Seal Paint Standards and Certification

1
Green Seal Paint Standards and Certification

• Mark Petruzzi
• Vice President of Certification

2
Overview of Presentation

• Significance of Standards, Certification in
  Procurement and Product Stewardship
• Background on Green Seal, Inc.
• Green Seals Certification Program
• Overview of current Paint Standards
• Update of GS-43 certifications

3
Significance of Standards, Certification in
Procurement

• Help identify green products/services
• Verify legitimate environmental claims
• Provide explicit, objective standards
• Provide criteria for specifications
• and bids

4
Significance of Standards, Certification in
Procurement (cont.)

• Certification demonstrates compliance
• Expert, independent assessment
• Consider product performance
• Can provide competitive bids if standards set
  properly

5
Significance of Standards, Certification in
Procurement (cont.)

• Technical Basis
• Use best available science
• Base on life-cycle of product
• Identify leadership levels to move market
• Procedural Basis
• Use open and transparent process
• No financial interest or conflict-of-interest

6
Green Seal, Inc. Background

• Non-profit with environmental mission
• Green Seal is dedicated to safeguarding the
  environment and transforming the marketplace by
  promoting the manufacture, purchase and use of
  environmentally responsible products and
  services.

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Green Seal, Inc. Background (cont.)

• Science-based
• Exclusive focus on products, services,
  purchasing, operations
• Multiple product categories
• Multiple criteria (life-cycle approach)
• No financial interest in products, companies

8
Green Seal Meets Applicable Guidelines for
Certification

• ISO 14020 and 14024
• Principles of Environmental Labeling
• Principles and Procedures for Type I EL
• EPA Guidelines for 3rd-Party Certifiers
• Member of the Global Ecolabelling Network

9
Green Seal Meets Applicable Guidelines for
Certification (cont.)

• Key attributes
• open, transparent process
• based on life-cycle evaluation
• impartial no financial interest/conflict
• leadership levels in standards
• developed by consensus

10
Green Seals Certification Program

• GS standards in 35 product categories
• Over 800 hundred products/services certified
• range from windows, electric chillers, and
  lodging facilities to institutional cleaners,
  paints, paper products, etc.

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How Green Seal SetsEnvironmental Standards

• Establish study category
• Call for stakeholders
• Appoint Stakeholder Committee (incl. users,
  manufacturers, trade groups, government,
  environmentalists, others)
• Environmental evaluation
• Draft standard
• Public review
• Published Response-to-Comments
• Stakeholder ballots
• Issue final standard
• where resources allow

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Sample Stakeholders

• Manufacturers
• Seventh Generation
• Spartan Chemical
• Clean Environment Co.
• Church Dwight
• 3M
• Users
• US Postal Service
• Aberdeen Proving Ground
• Intl Exec Housekeepers Assn
• American Federation of State, County, Munic.
  Employees
• ServiceMaster Industries

• Government
• City of Santa Monica
• MN Ofc Of Env Assist.
• MA Exec Ofc of Env Affairs
• US EPA
• US GSA
• Environmental
• INFORM
• Global Toxics Campaign, WWF
• Washington Toxics Coalition
• Environmental Health Coalition
• Others
• UMass Toxics Use Reduction Institute
• Individual experts

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GS-11 OverviewGreen Seal Environmental Standard
for Paints

• This Standard establishes environmental
  requirements for paints. The standard does not
  include stains, clear finishes, or paints sold in
  aerosol cans.

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GS-11 Overview Product-Specific Performance
Requirements

• Interior Topcoats
• Scrubbability
• Hiding Power (Opacity)
• Washability (Stain Removal)
• Exterior Topcoats
• Hiding Power (Opacity)

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GS-11 Overview Product-Specific Environmental
Requirements

• Chemical Component Limitations
• VOC limits
• Aromatic compound limits
• Chemical Component Restrictions
• 25 restricted compounds, including methylene
  chloride, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, vinyl
  chloride, formaldehyde, certain phthalates, and
  heavy metals

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GS-11 Overview Packaging Labeling Requirements

• Packaging
• Paint cans and their components are not
  fabricated with lead
• Labeling Requirements
• Basis of certification must be appear with the
  Green Seal Mark
• This product meets Green Seal environmental
  standards for volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
  and other ingredients.
• Include a brief statement discouraging disposal
  into drains and encouraging consultation with
  local authorities for disposal or recycling
• Paints formulated without VOCs shall be
  designated Class A.

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GC-3 OverviewGreen Seal Environmental Criteria
for Anti-Corrosive Paints

• Establishes environmental requirements for
  anti-corrosive paints, defined as coatings
  formulated and recommended for use in preventing
  the corrosion of ferrous metal substrates

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GC-3 Overview Product-Specific Performance
Requirements

• Adhesion
• Hiding Power (Opacity)
• Corrosion Resistance

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GC-3 Overview Product-Specific Environmental
Requirements

• Chemical Component Limitations
• VOC limits
• Aromatic Compounds
• Chemical Component Restrictions
• 25 restricted compounds, including methylene
  chloride, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, vinyl
  chloride, formaldehyde, certain phthalates, and
  heavy metals

20
GC-3 Overview Packaging Labeling Requirements

• Toxics in Packaging
• Paint cans and their components are not
  fabricated with lead
• Labeling Requirements
• Basis of certification must be appear with the
  Green Seal Mark
• This product meets Green Seal Environmental
  Criteria for anti-corrosive paints. Product does
  not exceed 250 g/l volatile organic compounds
  (VOCs), which can contribute to air pollution.
  Product does not contain certain toxic chemicals
  found in similar paints.
• Paints formulated without VOCs shall be
  designated Class A.

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Purpose of GS-43Recycled Paint Standard

• Reduce amount of leftover paint in waste stream
  convert into viable product
• comparable in performance to virgin
• close the loop
• Increase confidence in consumers
• preconceptions, misperceptions
• control variability of marketed products

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Genesis ofRecycled Paint Standard

• PSIs Paint Product Stewardship Initiative
  Markets Workgroup
• Need for certification
• - ensure good quality recycled content paints
• - purchasers can identify these
• Funded by CIWMB through San Joaquin County

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Issues in Recycled Paint Standard development

• Ensuring performance
• consistent levels with inherently variable
  product
• teaming with Master Painters Institute
• requirement to meet virgin paint standards
• Including consolidated paint
• more variable, less predictable

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Issues in Recycled Paint Standard development
(cont.)

• Presence of prohibited ingredients
• prohibit in virgin additives
• testing of recycled content?
• Combining exterior and interior
• commonly done in consolidated
• long-term performance, health issues?

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Issues in Recycled Paint Standard development
(cont.)

• Post-consumer content
• standardize protocols to ensure quality
• Federal, State procurement specs vary
• VOCs
• recycled may be high, esp. high gloss, color
• balance with use, waste diversion goals
• Federal, State requirements vary

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GS-43 Overview Scope of Standard

• Establishes environmental and performance
  requirements for recycled-content interior and
  exterior latex paint, defined as paint made by
  consolidation and reprocessing or remanufacturing
• This Standard does not apply to stains, clear
  finishes, paints sold in aerosol cans, or
• oil-based paints.

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GS-43 Overview Collecting Storing Requirements

• Original container with a readable label
• Visually match with label
• No solvent based paints or specialty paints
• Physical inspection shows paint is free of
• Biological growth
• Putrefaction
• Skinning
• Livering

• Hard settling of the pigment
• Corrosion of the container
• Excessive debris
• Curdling or other evidence of being frozen
• Heavy metals

• Paint filtered through a 300-micron or finer
  filter

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GS-43 Overview Product Specific Performance
Requirements

• Meets the applicable MPI detailed performance
  standard
• Tested for pH, viscosity, fineness of grind, and
  gloss

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GS-43 Overview Product Specific Health
Environmental Requirements

• Chemical Component Limitations
• VOC limits
• Aromatic compound limits
• Chemical Component Restrictions
• 25 restricted compounds, including methylene
  chloride, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, vinyl
  chloride, formaldehyde, certain phthalates, and
  heavy metals

30
GS-43 Overview Packaging Labeling Requirements

• Product Packaging
• Paint cans and their components are not
  fabricated with lead
• Recyclable product containers used where local
  recycling opportunities exist.
• Labeling Requirements
• Include a brief statement discouraging improper
  disposal and encouraging consultation with local
  authorities for disposal requirements or
  recycling opportunities.
• Basis of certification must be appear with the
  Green Seal Mark
• This product meets Green Seals environmental
  standard for consolidated recycled-content latex
  paint based on its use of a minimum 95 by volume
  post-consumer material and product performance
• This product meets Green Seals environmental
  standard for reprocessed recycled-content latex
  paint based on its use of a minimum 50 by volume
  post-consumer material and product performance

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GS-43 Overview End of Life Management

• Unused latex and non-latex paint shall be
  removed, utilized, disposed of properly
• Leftover paint from remanufacturing process shall
  be utilized where there are existing markets
• Metal and plastic paint containers, pallets, and
  packaging shall be recycled where there are
  existing markets.

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Update on GS-43 Certifications

• Currently two manufacturers being evaluated
• One consolidated and one reprocessed
• Some issues include
• Meeting MPI requirements (time)
• Documentation of criteria
• QA/QC or log documents
• Obtaining disclosure from raw material supplier
• Need complete MSD Sheets for ingredient and/or
• Need to see all proprietary information
• Need complete formulations, hazardous and
  non-hazardous (virgin and secondary industrial
  materials)

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Conclusions

• Product stewardship, procurement aided by
  certification
• Certification must follow substantive and
  procedural guidelines
• Green Seal is US pioneer in environmental
  certification
• Recycled paint standard will provide basis for
  product stewardship