Our Ambition

Liquid paint has been banned from landfill for several years. However, in many parts of the country it is still recommended to solidify and landfill perfectly good paint which could be reused or remanufactured. By creating a national solution to reuse and remanufacture paint, we will make better use of decorative paint that householders no longer want. In October 2021, British Coatings Federation (BCF) Board members, on behalf of the the coatings industry, pledged to increase the percentage leftover paint re-used, recycled, or re-manufactured from 2% today to 75% by 2030. You can read the full article on this here.

You can read a more detailed summary of the PaintCare plans and actions taken to date by clicking the image to the right.

Our ambition is to:

bulletIntroduce a voluntary national UK product stewardship scheme for leftover paint – PaintCare

bulletStop the landfilling of over 20 million litres of leftover decorative paint per year

bulletMaximise the use of valuable raw materials and resources:

  • Increase the reuse and remanufacturing of leftover decorative paint from 2% to 75% by 2030
  • Develop new routes to recycle non re-manufacturable leftover paint into other supply chains
  • Help find new markets for remanufactured paint products and stimulate a UK market for re-manufactured paint

bulletWork with local and national government, paint manufacturers, retailers, the waste industry and other stakeholders:

  • Remove legislative barriers
  • Facilitate a national collection network for consumers and trade bringing new job opportunities
  • Facilitate a national network of paint remanufacturers bringing new job opportunities

bulletNational promotion of the PaintCare scheme to the public and trade

The Future of PaintCare

In October 2020, the BCF published our Sustainable strokes document which outlines the coatings industry’s responsibility commitment to the environment and the progress we have made in the last few years.

As an industry, we are currently discussing a potential national voluntary industry led scheme, including a consumer eco fee, which will generate sufficient funds to substantially change the waste profile of leftover paint, and create a vibrant re-use, recycling and remanufacturing solution.

To find out more BCF’s environmental commitments for the coatings industry and our initiatives, go to our Sustainable Strokes page here.

Is your organisation committed to our ambitions? Email amy.white[at]bcf.co.uk to sign-up for the PaintCare voluntary commitment and be recognised on the ‘our partners’ page of our website. You’ll also receive a PaintCare voluntary commitment certificate, be promoted in our marketing materials as a PaintCare partner and be granted use of our PaintCare partner logo.