Why Choose Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited Paints and Dyes?
UK MANUFACTURER
| Eco-friendly | VOC “trace” | Non Toxic | Natural | No Heavy Metals | No Animal Products |
Since the business began in 1978 Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited has always been committed to manufacturing the purest, non toxic range of paints possible and of maintaining a policy of social, economic and environmental responsibility. Because we manufacture everything in house at our factory in Sheffield, UK from sustainable, renewable resources and operate a strong chemical management programme, every range is carefully monitored and, based on many years of experience in the industry, all products are formulated in line with the latest legislation to ensure that they continue to meet strict statutory requirements as well as our own exacting standards.
Products used in Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited Paints and Dyes:
- Water
- Non toxic, natural and water based manufactured binders
- Many acrylic polymers used in paints are synthesised from crude oil. However, significant progress has been made recently into the manufacture of biopolymers which are synthesised from natural renewable products that biodegrade to CO2 and H2O in soil and water. This is one of the components used in some of our paints.
- Non toxic natural and synthetic pigments
- Non toxic mineral fillers e.g. limestone and clay
- Non toxic levellers
- Food grade and other Non Toxic thickeners
- Food grade, Non toxic Titanium Dioxide refined from natural minerals (e.g.rutile) in an acid free process
- Low Impact Synthetic Dyes
Products NOT used in Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited Paints:
- Solvents, turpentine, terpenes, white spirit
- No raw materials containing VOC’s
- Formaldehyde/formaldehyde donors, acrolein
- Vinyl Chloride
- Animal based products
- Pesticides, Herbicides
- Ethereal Oils
- Heavy metals – lead, cadmium, manganese, mercury, etc.
- Phthalates etc.
- Direct dyes and vat dyes
- Banned Azo Dyes Quinoline Dyes
- Natural dyes/mordants
VOC Free/Zero VOC Vs Low VOC/VOC “trace”
The British Coatings Federation considers the use of the terms ‘zero VOC’ and ‘VOC-free’ to be false claims as there will always be trace elements of VOC’s present in a product – even though no raw materials containing VOCs have been added.. Even water can contain trace amounts of VOC’s. They say:
“It’s impossible to ensure that every batch of paint is completely free of VOCs (as even water can contain trace amounts of VOC) just like it is impossible to ensure that every batch of a chocolate bar is nut free because of the potential for trace nuts to be introduced at any point throughout the supply chain.”
We do not use any raw materials containing VOCs in any of our products but have removed the reference to
‘VOC free’. As of May 2022 The British Coatings Federation has adopted the use of “trace”. If this becomes the accepted term to denote negligible amounts of VOC present in a product, we will add it to our labelling.
Organic / Natural / Ecolabelling
Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited paints are solvent free, pesticide and herbicide free, do not contain
ethereal oils, are wheat and gluten free and non toxic. Using VOC free paints/virtually VOC free paints contributes to reducing air pollution. When classifying paints for the Defra EcoLabel Flower Symbol – If the boiling point of a solvent is 250°c or above, it isn’t recognised by the EU as a solvent and products containing such substances will, therefore, qualify for thislabelling which is why Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited choose currently not to use this symbol (our paints are solvent free) – preferring instead to call our range ‘Eco’.
Similarly some manufacturers’ products labelled as “Organic” or “Natural” contain solvents such as turpentine (distilled pine resin) and also ethereal oils which can also be hazardous. Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited paints do not contain any of these products.
Why use manufactured / synthetic products rather than using all natural raw materials?
When formulating new products, Colourcraft C & A Limited search specifically for raw materials to use that are based on renewable natural resources.
However, sometimes synthetic products are actually safer and more environmentally friendly e.g. some synthetic binders:
Some natural binders are animal based (bone, hide)
Some natural binders need solvents in order to work (turpentine or white spirit)
Clearly we would not use either of these natural alternatives in our paints.
Similarly, with pigments used in paints and printing systems, some natural colours are extremely safe – others are extremely toxic. The colour palette is also extremely limited with natural pigments.
It is, therefore, sensible to select the safest, environmentally friendly materials across both natural and synthetic
ranges.
Why use high quality low impact synthetic dyes rather than natural dyes?
As a Company, we are committed to the manufacture of high quality, low impact, synthetic dyes with a focus on sustainability.
A low impact, synthetic dye is free from heavy metals and banned azo dyes and helps reduce water consumption,
pollution, toxicity and greenhouse gas emissions.
When the instructions are followed correctly, all of our dye ranges have a high absorption rate. This means that
90% – 100% of the dye transfers to the fabric from the water (acid and easifix dyes), 80 – 90% for other ranges.
This greatly reduces the amount of waste dye which goes down the drain – one of the reasons our dyes are low
impact dyes.
Also, they don’t contain any toxic chemicals and, unlike natural dyes, they don’t require any toxic mordants (polyvalent metal ions) to completely fix the dye to the fabric. Natural doesn’t always mean harmless.
Some natural dyes contain poisonous substances and should be handled with caution (e.g. Logwood Hematin and Haematoxylin – extremely poisonous if inhaled or absorbed through the skin, Indigo eye and respiratory irritant).
These natural shades and endless other hues can be accurately and safely reproduced using Low Impact synthetic
dyes following our tried and tested recommended instructions The fixers used range from a mild acid for the acid
dyes e.g. white vinegar or citric acid to sodium carbonate for the procion dye range.
The concentrated nature of Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives High Quality Low Impact synthetic dyes means
that only a little is required to achieve excellent consistent results that are vibrant, fade resistant, light fast and colour fast. Large quantities of natural dyes are required to satisfactorily colour fabric. This requires large amounts
of farmland cultivation at the expense of food crops to grow the plants. Dyeing with natural dyes is less energy
efficient than with the Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives High Quality Low Impact synthetic dyes because it
takes approximately twice as long and uses significantly more water and heat, making it less energy efficient.
At Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Ltd we use and recommend only the correct dye for the specific fibre being
used, meaning they work extremely efficiently during the dyeing process and form a secure, permanent attachment
to the fibres once dyeing is complete. When exposed to light and with washing, natural dyes have a tendency to fade quickly.
Some traditional synthetic dyes such as vat dyes and direct dyes are both extremely damaging to the environment
and also to the people who work with them. None of these dyes have ever been sold by
Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited. Our range of low impact dyes are non toxic to both the environment
and people who use them.
Quality
All Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited Paint and Dye ranges are manufactured in house using the best raw materials and to an extremely high standard. Whilst our prices are extremely competitive, quality is always the defining factor when producing each range.
Packaging
All bottles used by Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited are made from polymers which are recyclable.
Boxes are manufactured from card obtained from sustainable sources and are recyclable
Carbon Footprint
Greenhouse gases are produced by every living organism. Realistically, it isn’t possible for a Company to be
Carbon-Neutral – the best it can and should aim for is to lower its carbon footprint as much as possible. This
includes becoming more efficient, reducing the amount of energy used, keeping any waste products produced to an absolute minimum and ensuring that these are disposed of appropriately, increasing recycling as much as possible
and improving transportation of materials. Colourcraft Colours & Adhesives Limited is committed to continuing
to lower our Carbon Footprint.
