Bastion Paint - Environmental Policies


	Bastion Paint products are all environmentally responsible and safe to use. All our white and tint base products have the following characteristics: Lead free No White Spirit No Ethylene Glycol (although this may be contained in colourants used) No Ammonia for pH control No Nonyl Phenol Ethoxylate Lead is usually excluded from modern paints but many other harmful chemicals are frequently used especially in countries where environmental and health policing is inadequate. In each case above we use more health and environmentally friendly alternatives such as Titanium Dioxide, NX795, Neutralising Amine, Propylene Glycol and Octyl Phenol Ethoxylate. Bastion Paint manufactures in an ISO 14000 certified plant. As such our activities are governed by ISO14000 requirements including responsible chemical selection, safe chemical handling, solid waste separation and control, effluent monitoring and control and generally reducing our environmental foot print through continuous improvement. All Bastion Paint products have a fairly low odour and reasonably low solvent levels. It may seem strange to state that high quality paint has a reduced environmental impact. It does because the better the paint the less often you need to paint!

	Paint can impact the environment from a number of sources. The manufacture of raw materials destined for the paint industry. Waste from the paint manufacturing process. The selection of ingredients used in the paint manufacture. The end user of the paint (spills, wash ups etc).

	Water based acrylic paints took the world by storm and in a relatively short time captured 80% of the total worlds paint market. The driving force behind this dramatic industry change was lower cost, excellent durability, improved ease of use and environmental and health considerations.

	The most likely applications of harmful ingredients in architectural acrylic paint are as solvents, wetting and dispersing agents, preservatives and dry film biological control agents. Solvents In solvent / alkyd paints the binders are oil derivates and are dissolved in a solvent. These solvents evaporate as the paint dries but they are very harmful to the environment. They are a main contributor of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) to the atmosphere. Water based paints have a far lower solvent level as water is the binder carrier. They thus have a much lower VOC content. No Bastion Paint white or base products contain Ethylene Glycol or White Spirit. These are two very harmful solvents used in cheaper water based paints. Colourants added later may, however, contain ethylene glycol. In-can preservatives Selection of the type and correct inclusion rates are the key to preservatives not impacting the environment. If these are not used, bacteria will soon attack the paint thereby reducing its strength, giving an odour and dropping the pH. Shelf life of the paint will be only a few weeks if no incan preservatives are added. Good hygiene during manufacturing reduces the amount of preservative required as there are fewer bacteria to kill from the start. Mildew, algae, fungi and mould inhibitors Biological inhibitors are useful in high quality exterior paints and for some interior applications such as bathrooms, especially in humid or damp environments. The product utilised to provide this painted film protection in our paints has been specifically selected to meet the requirements of the tough current European Union environmental legislation. It is AOX free and has a very low VOC content (AOX = absorbable organic halide. VOC = volatile organic compound.)

	We have not had any spills but in the event of one, bund walls and other engineering protective methods will prevent our raw materials and finished product from entering water courses.

	Transport of all our chemicals and products meets all the requirements of Chapter 8 of the Road Traffic Act and the associated SABS standards.

	All raw material containers are returned to the chemical suppliers for re-use or disposed of in a manner acceptable for the type of product that was contained in them. Our spent containers will never find their way into water courses or into dwellings where they could get used to hold water. THE BEAUTY OF OUR ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY IS THAT IT SAVES US MONEY WHILE PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT AND YOUR HEALTH.
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