HIstorically, the world of paints and coatings has not always been an environmentally friendly one.
Some paints contained the toxic metal cadmium, others contained arsenic in pigments, and the historical use of lead in paint is a well-known fact.
Even today, products can contain compounds or materials that can adversely affect our environment by releasing solvents or other toxic elements at various stages of the product life cycle.
However, changes in both the paint and coatings industry, and an increase in public awareness around these effects have led to significant reductions in these areas already.
Toxic metals are near non-existent in coatings, and the developments of both non-aromatic solvent-based paints and water-based coatings have led to significant reductions and even elimination of VOCs.
MPI established the Green Performance Standards in 2005 because of concerns that the existing environmental requirements set by the EPA, SCAQMD, OTC, etc. (as well as voluntary organizations like LEED) were only based on VOC levels.
MPI believes that performance and durability are critical to true sustainability as premature failure and subsequent frequent repainting inevitably lead to greater VOC emissions and non-sustainable and costly maintenance operations.
MPI’s Green Performance™ Standards were established to challenge the thinking that VOC level alone should determine a 'green' coating, so paints certified to MPI's Green Performance Standard:
MPI's Green Performance™ Standards are the only green paint/coatings certification required by both the US and Canadian governments, and referenced by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD).
MPI offers the Extreme Green™ (“X-Green”) standards, which incorporate MPI’s Green Performance Standards (GPS). Designed to simplify the process of selecting environmentally friendly products for interior spaces, the X-Green categories are subcategories of existing standards used across the architectural world.
All products on the X-Green lists will have passed all the performance testing for the base standards as well as meeting the following guidelines:
These requirements, including the base standard the product is tested for, encompass the three requirements for a truly green paint: indoor air quality, environmental safety, and the performance necessary to promote sustainable building practices.
The MPI Green Performance®Standard requires that the manufacturer shall demonstrate that the following chemical compounds are not used as ingredients in the manufacture of the product: [Trace elements (max. 5 ppm) as a by-product are excluded.]
MPI Green Performance Standard’s Prohibited Compounds | |||
Acrolein |
Diethyl phthalate |
Formaldehyde |
Methylene Chloride |
Acrylonitrile |
Dimethyl phthalate |
Hexavalent Chromium |
Naphthalene |
Antimony |
Di-n-butyl phthalate |
Isophorone |
Toluene (Methylbenzene) |
Asbestos |
Di-n-octyl phthalate |
Lead |
1,1,1 –trichloroethane |
Benzene |
1,2 –dichlorobenzene |
Mercury |
Vinyl Chloride |
Butyl benzyl phthalate |
Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate |
Methyl ethyl ketone |
|
Cadmium |
Ethylbenzene |
Methyl isobutyl ketone |
|
IARC – Group 1 Carcinogenic to humans [excluding crystalline silica, not in the form of quartz or cristobalite dust]. |
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Requirements
Category Description |
MPI Categories |
Max Allowable VOCs |
|
GPS-1 |
GPS-2 |
||
Architectural |
|||
Interior Flat Intermediate/Top Coats |
49, 53, 55, 118, 133, 143, 165 |
50 g/L |
50 g/L |
Interior Non-Flat Intermediate/Top Coats |
43,44,47,48,51,52, 54, 89,114, 131,138 to 141, 144 to 148, 151, 153,154, 155, 157, 158, 166, 167, 168, 169, 225, 226 |
150g/L |
50 g/L |
Exterior Flat Intermediate/Top Coats |
8, 10, 42,113 |
100 g/L |
50 g/L |
Exterior Non-Flat Intermediate/Top Coats |
9, 11, 15, 38, 40, 41, 94, 119, 161, 163, 164, 213, 214, 311, 315 |
150g/L |
50 g/L |
Special Purpose |
|||
Clear Varnishes |
28,29,30,56, 57, 73, 74, 75, 128,129,130, 181, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197 |
350 g/L |
|
Clear Sanding Sealers |
84, 102 |
350 g/L |
|
Clear Lacquer |
85, 86, 87 |
550 g/L |
|
Fire Retardant coatings – Pigmented |
63, 64, 67, 126 |
350 g/L |
|
Fire Retardant coatings – Clear |
62, 65, 66, 109, 111 |
650 g/L |
|
Floor Coatings |
27, 58, 59, 60, 68, 127 |
250g/L |
|
Hi Temperature Coatings |
2, 21, 22 |
420 g/L |
|
Industrial Maintenance Coatings |
31, 35, 71, 72, 77, 78, 82, 83, 98, 101, 105, 108, 115, 174, 177, 201,202, 203, 215, 301 |
340 g/L |
|
Metallic Pigmented Coatings |
1 |
500 g/L |
|
Multi-Color Coatings |
112, 121 |
250 g/L |
|
Pigmented Lacquer |
24, 122, 123, 124 |
550 g/L |
|
Pretreatment Wash Primers |
25, 80 |
420 g/L |
|
Primers & Undercoaters |
4, 5, 6, 17, 39, 45, 46, 50, 61, 69, 91, 116, 125, 134, 149, 172 |
200 g/L |
|
Quick Dry Enamels |
81, 96 |
250 g/L |
|
Recycled Coatings |
10RC, 10RR, 11RR, 11RC,15RC, 15RR, 44RC, 44RC, 53RC, 53RR, 54RC, 54RR |
150 g/L |
|
Rust Preventative Coatings |
23, 26, 76, 79, 95, 107, 135, 173, 275 |
400 g/L |
|
Shellac – Clear |
88 |
730 g/L |
|
Specialty Primers |
3,5,7,36,136,137, 223 |
350 g/L |
|
Stains |
13, 14, 16, 33, 90, 92,156,186 |
250 g/L |
|
Traffic Coating |
32, 70, 97 |
150 g/L |
|
Waterproofing Concrete/Masonry Sealers |
34, 99, 104,117 |
400 g/L |
|
Zinc Rich Primers |
18, 19, 20, 200 |
340 g/L |
|
EPR
The EPR is a rating calculated by MPI based on both the E-Range above and the performance of the product to gauge its Ozone Forming Potential (OFP). For example, a product with lower VOC that requires extra coats, or frequent recoating can have an outsized VOC impact despite the low rating of the product itself. This is usually tied at least in part to the gloss level, as a coating’s durability and serviceability tends to increase with gloss.
E-Range:
Each category has at the top a list of VOC ranges. These are used to give products an “E-Range” rating, with E3 having the lowest VOC content, and E1 the highest acceptable, with E0 being either outside the range, or unavailable. These ranges are based on a variety of jurisdictions, including the EPA, California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District, U.S. Green Building Council, and the Canadian Environmental choice program.
RG
A checkmark in the RG column means the category is compliant with either the Ozone Transport Commission’s (OTC) Model Rule 2010-11, which establishes VOC limits for products based on the OTC’s categorization, or is compliant with Environment Canada’s (EC) VOC limits for architectural coatings (SOR/2009-264)
LEED:
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and is part of the U.S. Green Building Council, and is currently called LEED v4.1. The relevant portion of the LEED v4.1 standard references the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1113 for VOC limits. A check mark here means the product meets those requirements.
GPS-1 and GPS-2:
A checkmark (or leaf) here signifies that the product meets MPI’s Green Performance Standard, either level 1 or 2. To meet MPI’s GPS-1/-2 requires that the product not exceed a specified VOC level, not contain any components on the GPS’s Restricted Component List. Please note that GPS-2 is not available for all categories.
For the purpose of MPI’s Green Performance Standard, the following definitions shall apply:
ARCHITECTURAL COATINGS are any coatings applied to stationary structures and their appurtenances, to mobile homes, to pavements, or to curbs.
COATINGS are materials applied to a surface in order to beautify, protect, or provide a barrier to such a surface.
FLAT COATINGS are coatings that register a gloss of less than 5 on a 60-degree meter and less than 10 on an 85-degree meter.
INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE COATINGS are coatings, including primers, sealers, undercoats, and intermediate coatings and topcoats, that are formulated for or applied to substrates, including floors, that are exposed to one or more of the following extreme environmental conditions:
NONFLAT COATINGS are coatings that register a gloss greater than 5 on a 60 degree meter and a gloss of 10 or greater on an 85 degree meter.
CLEAR WOOD FINISHES are clear and semi-transparent coatings, including lacquers and varnishes, applied to wood substrates to provide a transparent or translucent solid film.
DRY-FOG COATINGS are coatings which are formulated only for spray application so that when sprayed, overspray droplets dry before falling on floors and other surfaces.
FIRE-RETARDANT COATINGS are coatings labeled and formulated to retard ignition and flame spread, that has been fire tested and rated by a testing agency approved by building code officials for use in bringing building and construction materials into compliance with federal, state and local building code requirements. The fire-retardant coating shall be tested in accordance with ASTM Test Method E 84-99, incorporated by reference in paragraph (e)(4) or listed by Underwriter's Laboratories, Inc. as fire-retardant coatings with a flame spread index of less than 25.
FLOOR COATINGS are opaque coatings that are formulated for or applied to flooring, including (but not limited to) decks, porches, gymnasiums, and bowling alleys, but do not include Industrial Maintenance Coatings.
HIGH-TEMPERATURE INDUSTRIAL MAINTENANCE COATINGS are industrial maintenance coatings formulated for or applied to substrates exposed continuously or intermittently to temperatures above 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Centigrade).
LACQUERS are clear or pigmented finishes, including lacquer sanding sealers, formulated with nitrocellulose or synthetic resins to dry by evaporation without chemical reaction. The dried film can be re-dissolved by the original solvent.
METALLIC PIGMENTED COATINGS are coatings, excluding roof coatings, containing at least 0.4 pounds per gallon (48 grams/liter) of coating, as applied, of elemental metallic pigment (excluding zinc), mica particles or any combination of metallic pigments and mica particles.
MULTI-COLOR COATINGS are coatings which exhibit more than one color when applied and which are packaged in a single container and applied in a single coat.
PRE-TREATMENT WASH PRIMERS are coatings which contain a minimum of 1/2 percent acid, by weight, applied directly to bare metal surfaces to provide necessary surface etching.
PRIMERS are coatings applied to a surface to provide a firm bond between the substrate and subsequent coats.
QUICK-DRY ENAMELS are non-flat coatings which comply with the following: