Creating healthier homes with plant-based paint

Every day we are unavoidably exposed to hazardous chemicals – from petrol and cleaners, to the chemicals found in insect repellants and pet products. As consumers themselves, Grace Glass and James Mount knew there was a better way – they wanted to help Kiwis become less exposed to these everyday toxins, and set about creating a natural paint solution.

At the time Natural Paint Co. was founded by Grace and James in 2015, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released research about indoor air quality.

“They found that indoor air, throughout the world, is two to five times more polluted than the air outside,” says James. “That’s due to the materials, the ingredients that we’re putting into our homes – and a big part of that is paint. Think about the surface area that your walls add up to in your house.”

James explains that many of the paints we might use in our homes will leach chemicals for up to 10 years, and when a room is newly painted, “the air inside is up to 1,000 times more polluted than the air outside”.

“Learning this was a big eye-opener for us. It helped us make the decision to do something better in the industry.”

With people spending 90% of their time indoors, it’s important to be surrounded by ingredients that are good for us – with its roots in the petrochemical industry, paint ingredients haven’t always been up to scratch.

Already involved in the paint industry before creating Natural Paint Co., this is something that James knew all too well. Wanting to bring an entirely new and improved product to the market, Natural Paint Co.’s paint didn’t only have to be healthy – it also had to be a top quality, high-performing product, and be good for the environment.

Working with some of New Zealand’s top paint chemists holding decades of experience, James and Grace tasked them with the challenge of “producing New Zealand’s first natural paint that is as good as or better than the highest quality paints found on the market”.

“We’ve produced a product that is completely free of nasty chemicals. We’re not using any ingredients in the products that can have a negative health effect on humans or animals during or after painting. We’re prioritising natural and sustainable raw materials in the products rather than relying on chemicals,” says James, with 85% of the ingredients being renewable raw materials.

So what’s the secret ingredient? Well, there isn’t one.

“We fully disclose all of our ingredients and our data sheets on our labels... and the reason we did this was to prove the point – we can make these claims and say these wonderful things, but we also wanted to create that transparency so that people know exactly what’s in it.”

This enables homeowners to know exactly what they’re putting into their spaces. The ingredients that you will find in Natural Paint Co.’s eco paint include calcium carbonate, diatomaceous earth, quartz powder, caster oil, water, and even mānuka oil. Locally sourced from an organic farm in Central North Island, this ingredient acts as a natural bacterial and mould inhibitor, and gives the paint some of its lovely aroma.

“We have also used an ingredient called titanium dioxide – which is what gives paint coverage and hiding power – and we have the highest rate in the industry. This means that when you use our products, not only are you getting a product that is better in terms of the application and the washability, but you actually need less of our paint to do an area. So where you might need 60 litres of another product, you might only need 40 litres of ours because of that high coverage.”

As well as full ingredient transparency, Grace and James wanted to make the entire experience is stress free, and their online-only shop – an Australasian first – does exactly that.

“We knew that if we were going to disrupt the industry, we needed to take a fresh approach. By being online, there are a lot of pain points we can address with clients,” says James.

To help with what is often an overwhelming experience, Natural Paint Co. removes the paradox of choice by having a curated range of colours – all of which can be explored on the website, and ordered as a test pot.

By taking this digital-first approach, it means customers are also able to choose their paint colours and products from anywhere, at any time.

“We make the process a lot easier for people; they can go on our website and read about the products, and then we really guide them – they can easily find the right product for the right situation, and they can do it in their pyjamas at home and then the paint can be sent to them within two working days and it arrives on their doorstep.”

And it’s not just interior paint that you can source from Natural Paint Co. The brand offers exterior products, primers and undercoats, interior oils, as well as Citrus Thinner, Eco Mould Kill, and Timber Care.

For every one square metre of area consumers paint or oil with these products, Natural Paint Co. saves one square metre of Amazonian rainforest through a rainforest trust. This means that for every 10 litres of wall paint, about eight car parking spaces worth of rainforest is saved, and to date the company has saved over two million square metres of rainforest.

Being a certified social enterprise with Ākina, Natural Paint Co. also has initiatives with many local community groups, such as donating mis-tinted or leftover paint to local art groups and underfunded school art departments.

“It’s about the change you can make happen as a small company when you’re impact driven and impact focused,” says Grace.

For non-toxic plant-based paints, oils and stains, learn more about Natural Paint Co. and its products on ArchiPro.

Words by Cassie Birrer