There are many eco-friendly paint brands on the market today, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to navigate them all. So, we've put together this article to help you learn all about eco-friendly paints!
What is eco-friendly paint?
To understand what eco-friendly paint is, let's first define the term "ecological." According to the Petit Larousse dictionary, "ecological" means "environmentally friendly."
The composition of a paint, to be ecological, must therefore have the lowest possible environmental impact : it is for this reason that natural, renewable and local raw materials are favored in their composition.
To help you understand the concept of "ecological," the European Union has created the European Ecolabel , a certification that attests to the fact that a product meets very strict specifications and is environmentally friendly, efficient, and reliable. In France, this label is supported by the Ministry of the Environment, ADEME, and the AFNOR certification body.
At Algo, we are very proud to have obtained this certification, which attests without debate and in a factual manner to the quality and ecological aspect of our beautiful paint.
What is an eco-friendly paint made of?
To go further, here are the main ingredients found in paint, with the distinction between those which are ecological and solvent-based paints:
- Fillers : These are what give paint its consistency and texture . In conventional paint, they come from petrochemical by-products, with all the problems this entails for the planet and health.
Some so-called “ecological” paints do not necessarily use natural fillers and this is where there can be confusion!
At Algo, we've chosen to incorporate natural fillers into our beautiful paint and have innovated by choosing Breton algae! They provide unparalleled smoothness and strong covering power to the paint, and represent up to 30% of its total composition.
- Pigments: These are what give the paint its beautiful color . We favor natural pigments , such as Roussillon Ochres, for our soft, pastel shades.
- Resin: This is what binds all the ingredients together (like pancake batter!) and allows the paint to adhere well to the surface. In traditional paints, the resin is petroleum-based, so it's not great in terms of environmental impact!
For our part, we use a bio-sourced plant resin which once again promotes the use of natural and renewable raw materials that are more respectful of our beautiful planet.
A little subtlety: not all bio-sourced resins are equal and can be supplemented at significant levels with petrochemical products. This is why we have chosen to select a 98% bio-sourced resin for our paint to complete our approach by offering the most eco-friendly paint possible.
Growing awareness about protecting the planet means many manufacturers are working on developing healthier paints.
Very often, paint is only environmentally friendly in its resin, which represents no more than 20% of a paint pot on average! It is therefore important to differentiate between a natural and bio-sourced paint and a paint formulated with a bio-sourced resin.
- Additives: this is what allows plant materials to be preserved over time and to have a long-lasting quality paint once applied to the surface.
- water: because yes, an ecological paint is also designed with what nature has simplest to offer us. Its role is simple: to fluidify the fillers and the resin in order to provide the most pleasant product possible to apply.
Is eco-friendly paint less harmful to health?
The answer is yes! The more natural the paint ingredients are, the fewer VOCs it will emit (the so-called Volatile Organic Compounds, which are harmful to health and are released into the indoor air several weeks after the paint is applied).
Have you ever seen the indoor air emissions label? By choosing a 98% bio-sourced resin and algae to design our paint, Algo's emissivity is 10 times lower than the strictest standards with less than 1g/L of VOCs when conventional paints can contain between 10g and 30g per liter of VOCs (20 times more 😱)
Our paints are particularly suitable for children's rooms with a more fragile pulmonary barrier and for people with allergies .
They are also very regularly applied in nurseries and hospitals and are acclaimed by Professor Housset of the Fondation du Souffle, whose aim is to prevent respiratory diseases.
Does eco-friendly paint give off less odor?
The answer is yes too! Eco-friendly paints do not contain solvents that cause strong odors that can linger for days and cause headaches.
They generally have a weak or neutral odor, a considerable advantage because it allows you to live in the house or apartment that is being repainted without suffering the unpleasantness of strong odors.
This is also one of the characteristics of our beautiful paint: its odor is low, as is its emissivity!
Are eco-friendly paints good quality?
Yes! While they suffered from the image of old eco-friendly paints, which, it must be said, weren't always great, today they have nothing to do with it and are positioned on the same technical characteristics as traditional paints in terms of covering power, durability, and washability. No more excuses for switching to a more environmentally friendly paint!
At Algo, we invested two years in research and development to enable the quality of our paint to be certified by an independent organization, the European Ecolabel. This also allows us to be present at Leroy Merlin for several years, a guarantee of quality of which we are also very proud.
Abrasion test, UV resistance test, washability test: we have passed all these tests with flying colors to satisfy the most demanding customers, including professionals such as Bouygues Construction, Nexity and LVMH.
Throughout the design of a pot of Algo paint, 15 tests are carried out by our laboratory to confirm the credibility of our paint compared to a classic paint.
The quality of our eco-friendly paint is best described by our customers: we invite you to browse the hundreds of customer reviews certified by the "Avis Vérifiés" platform, which give us a score above 9/10 😊
How much does eco-friendly paint cost?
Our mission at Algo is to make quality eco-friendly paint accessible to as many people as possible . We are not the cheapest because, as you know, producing in France in a short circuit with local natural raw materials is more expensive for a company. But it is the price to pay to protect our beautiful planet and offer a healthier paint for indoor air produced locally at the right price .
An important element to consider when choosing an ecological paint is its covering power . The algae present in our paint allow us to obtain a coverage of 12m2/L. To give you a concrete example, to paint 120m2 you will need 2 fewer pots than a paint with a coverage of 10m2/L. A significant difference in a renovation budget! You can use our calculator to obtain the right quantities needed for your project.
An ecological paint is therefore not necessarily more expensive than a so-called classic paint, it is above all sold at the right price while respecting the planet.
Additional information from the Algo team:
While the need to consume differently is essential, it is important to keep in mind that an ecological paint is not necessarily manufactured locally or composed of local raw materials.
This is why the concept of short supply chains is important, since it considerably reduces our carbon footprint!
To conclude !
We hope you enjoyed this article. To learn more about our beautiful eco-friendly paint, please feel free to contact us by phone, email, or chat, and we will be happy to answer all your questions.
