Overview

2Printed on paper that contains at least 30 percent postconsumer fiber.
Environmentally Preferable

Purchasing Program

Environmentally preferable purchasing ensures that

environmental considerations are included in purchasing

decisions along with traditional factors such as product

price and performance. The EPP program provides guidance for federal agencies to facilitate purchases of goods

and services that pose fewer burdens on the environment. 

For more information about environmentally preferable purchasing or EPA’s EPP Program,

please visit our Web site at <www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp>, or contact:

Pollution Prevention Information Clearinghouse (PPIC)

202 260-1023

e-mail: PPIC@EPA.GOV

This document provides an overview of a federal government EPP initiative and includes references to 

specific products and companies. These references are included to provide additional detail and do not constitute 

endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or the Department of Defense.
concept that, depending on the product category or other product- or case-specific

criteria, will not necessarily be implemented in the same manner from agency to

agency or even within a specific agency. To demonstrate some of the ways EPP principles are being applied, EPA is documenting pilot projects undertaken by executive

agencies, state and local governments, and the private sector.

This case study documents one of those projects. It describes efforts by the U.S. Department

of Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) to

purchase paint it deems environmentally preferable. As part of its overall pollution prevention

strategy, APG worked closely with a third-party,

nongovernmental environmental standards organization to examine its paint purchases and to identify the multiple environmental attributes relevant

when purchasing paint. This case study examines

APG’s EPP strategy, the assistance provided by the

environmental standards organization, the resulting cost savings and environmental benefits,

lessons learned, and next steps. It also highlights

another successful strategy for incorporating environmental concerns into federal purchasing decisions. Perhaps most importantly, it demonstrates that EPP can be an integral part of

the government’s overall pollution prevention efforts. We hope the lessons and

insights documented in this case study will help you and your organization as you

begin including environmental preferability into your purchasing decisions.

Foreword 

Environmentally preferable products 

“products and services [that] have a lesser 

reduced effect on human health and the en

ment when compared to other products an

vices that serve the same purpose.” This

comparison may consider raw materials ac

tion, production, manufacturing, packagin

tribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, o

disposal of the product or service.

—Executive Ord

Greening the Government Through Waste P

Recycling, and Federal 
p

It Is Important To Verify Environmental Attribute Claims ...........................................12

Environmental Champions Are Important......................................................................13

Persistence Is Important ...................................................................................................14

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Is a Natural Part of Any Pollution 

Prevention Strategy......................................................................................................14

Next Steps ................................................................................................................15

Adopting a Just-in-Time Purchasing Process..................................................................15

Promoting the Project.......................................................................................................15

Including the Standards in All Contracts.........................................................................16

Minimizing the Use of Noncompliant Paint from Off-Installation Sources ................16

Learning from Other Agencies.........................................................................................16

Improving Pollution Prevention by Further Reducing Painting Requirements...........17

Using a Similar Process To Evaluate Degreasers............................................................17

Appendices

Appendix A—Green Seal ..................................................................................................18

Appendix B—Examples of Paints Meeting APG Standards (As of October 1, 1999)....20

Appendix C—Other Environmentally Preferable Paint Pilot Projects .........................23

ii ◆ Contents
Introduction 

tion opportunities associated with its

paint purchases for two important

reasons—cost savings and air quality.

The large quantity of paints used

at APG presented an opportunity to

substantially reduce the installation’s

hazardous materials handling and

disposal costs. Before modifying its

purchasing practices, APG used or

stored 2,200 different paints and

coatings, excluding color differences.

Of those, 565 were architectural and

anticorrosive paints used to maintain

the more than 2,100 buildings on the

installation. The remaining paints

and coatings included spray paints

and reflective paints or speciality

paints used on military equipment.

In addition, many of the paints

stored on the installation were outdated or no longer needed.

Air quality is a concern at APG

because the installation is located in

an ozone nonattainment area, meaning the ground-level ozone concentration in the

region surrounding the installation exceeds the safety thresholds established in the Clean

Air Act. While stratospheric ozone, commonly referred to as the ozone layer, protects

the Earth from excessive ultraviolet radiation and helps maintain the global climate,

Environmental Executive Orders

The Executive Orders listed below provided incentives 

APG to institute an EPP program for paint. To obtain co

the Executive Orders, please visit <www.pub.whitehouse.

search/executive-orders.html>.

• Executive Order 12856, Federal Compliance with Rig

Know Laws and Pollution Prevention Requirements, Aug

1993: Directs agencies to cut toxic emissions 50 perc

improve indoor and outdoor air quality.

• Executive Order 13101, Greening the Government T

Waste Prevention, Recycling, and Federal Acquisition,

September 14, 1998: Strengthened and replaced an 

order, Executive Order 12873, Federal Acquisition,

Recycling, and Waste Prevention. Executive Order 128

required federal agencies to purchase recycled-conte

products designated by EPA and to buy other enviro

tally preferable products according to guidance deve

by EPA's EPP Program.
g , 

to help develop an EPP plan for paint an

to review the installation’s paint purchase

After developing its standards, APG reduced its architectural and anticorrosive

paint purchases from 565 types of paint to 73, all of which meet both its environme

tal and performance standards. APG officials, who expect to expand this list over tim

estimate APG’s modified paint purchasing process will save the installation $60,000

annually while improving environmental performance. This case study documents t

development of APG’s paint standards, Green Seal’s advisory role, the success of th

effort, lessons learned, and future steps.

2 ◆ Introduction
prevention program.

Since APG is in an ozone nonattainment

area, it recognized VOCs as a significant concern. As part of its initial search for low-VOC

paint, APG learned that many states, including

California, New York, and New Jersey, have

imposed VOC limits for paints due to concerns

about its links with ground-level ozone formation. Its research into the environmental

impacts of paint also revealed that many scientists were equally concerned about other potentially hazardous paint components, including

lead.1 Most importantly, APG’s research

revealed that as a result of these and other environmental concerns, many companies are

reformulating paints to minimize adverse environmental effects.

After learning that Green Seal, an independent, nonprofit environmental product certification and consumer education organization,

had developed environmental standards for

paint, APG sought additional information from

them to develop similar standards for the

installation. After a review of the Green Seal

Project Back

1 Although lead was banned from residential paints in 1978, “lead-free” paint can include up to 0.06 percent

lead (16 CFR Part 1303). Many scientists are concerned that even these low levels of lead in paint still pose a

danger to small children.

pyp

durability at APG. The installation also cond

research to help defend U.S. troops and soil a

chemical, biological, and radiological weapon

The installation employs 7,600 federal emp

4,500 assigned military personnel, and 3,000 

sector contract personnel. It comprises 72,500 

in Harford County, Maryland. More than 2,1

buildings with more than 14 million square fe

floor space occupy the installation, including 

housing units in which 2,900 military family m

bers live.

APG is, in reality, a small town. It includes

• 300 miles of road.

• 30 miles of railroad.

• An airport with 567,000 square feet of p

runway.

• A 7-million-gallon per day water distribu

system.

• 1,000 vehicles of all types and sizes.

• Its own police and fire departments.
Order 12856. 

APG chose not to incorporate Green Seal’s performance and packaging requirements into its standards because the installation was already aware of and satisfied w

the performance and packaging of the paints being purchased for use on the installa

tion. (The installation, for example, already prohibited the use of lead in paint cans

As a result, APG did not feel it needed to modify its own performance and packagin

requirements. APG decided, however, to compare its newly developed VOC limits

and list of prohibited materials with the installation’s paint supplies to determine

which paints met its environmental standards. Based on the results of the compariso

APG would continue buying the paints it traditionally used with the confidence tha

the paints also met its new environmental standards.

Considering Recycled-Content Options

In addition to examining hazardous constituents, APG considered, but decided

against, including a recycled-content requirement in its paint standards. Federal go

ernment agencies are required under Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation an

Recovery Act to purchase recycled-content products designated by EPA. In 1997,

EPA’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG) program designated recycled

content latex paint, which means federal agencies purchasing latex paint are require

to purchase recycled-content latex paint if it meets the agency’s price, performance,

and availability requirements.3 Other federal, state, and local government agencies 

promote the use of recycled-content latex paint. 

4 ◆ Project Background

2 Additional information on Green Seal, including a description of how Green Seal developed its standard

in Appendix A.

3 For additional information on CPG’s paint designation and recommended recycled-content levels, please 

<www.epa.gov/cpg/products/paint.htm>.
, yqp

environmentally preferable paint standards. This means that APG can consider

paints to be environmentally preferable even if they do not contain recycled content;

it does not mean that the installation will refuse to use all recycled-content paints,

only those that fail to meet its standards. Any paint meeting APG’s environmentally

preferable paint standards and its other price, performance, and availability requirements will be considered for use on the installation.

The installation, however, does support paint recycling and consolidates its unused

paint for transfer to a nonprofit organization that distributes it to low-income residents. In October 1998, as part of an installationwide cleanup effort to eliminate

unneeded or outdated stock, 400 gallons of paint were consolidated for reuse by the

local community. It was transferred

to the county recycling center under

a no-cost contract and was transported by a licensed hazardous materials

commercial driver.

Finalizing the Standards

After reviewing and modifying

Green Seal’s standards, APG 

finalized the environmental requirements for its paint purchases, as

described in Tables 1 and 2.

Table 1. Maximum Acceptable VOC Leve

Type of Paint 

Interior Architectural

Flat 50 0.4

Nonflat 150 1.2

Exterior Architectural

Flat 100 0.8

Nonflat 200 1.6

Anticorrosive

Flat 250 2.1

Semigloss 250 2.1

Gloss 250 2.1

VOCs

(grams/liter)

VO

(pounds

Project Background 
existing paint purchases in two phases, as described below.

Phase I

To ensure its paint standards were not so strict as to eliminate all of the paints us

on the installation, APG provided Green Seal with a list of 178 randomly selected

architectural and anticorrosive paints. It asked Green Seal to review each paints’

Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS), which lists ingredients and can include VOC

content, and to call manufacturers to obtain VOC information if it was not provide

on the MSDS. Based on the results of this review, APG asked Green Seal to determine which paints would be acceptable under APG’s standards.

After reviewing the information, Green Seal found

that 36 of the 178 paints appeared to meet the APG

paint standards. It also reported that 21 of the paints,

including 5 of the ones that appeared to meet the AP

standards, were no longer available because the manu

facturers had gone out of business or the products we

no longer manufactured. Green Seal purchased purewhite samples of the remaining 31 paints and deliver

them to APG for testing. 

White paint samples were used because it is the ba

for all other paint colors. Yellow paint, for example, i

created by adding drops of yellow pigment to a gallon 

white paint. The more drops of yellow tint added to 

base paint, the more intense the resulting color.

According to Green Seal, the additional environmental impacts associated with the

color-tinted paint are generally too minor to be of concern.

6 ◆ Project Background
Project Background 

To ensure that the 24 paints meeting the APG environmental standards performed

well, APG shared the findings with some of the paint contractors on the installation.

“Although there was some concern that the painters wouldn’t like the product, the amazing thing,” according to Robert Solyan, Pollution

Prevention Program Manager at APG, “is that the

paints meeting our environmental standards were

already some of the most widely used paints. The

environmentally preferable products turned out to

be the higher quality products.”

Some painters, however, were wary about

using the products. Low-VOC paints have higher

percentages of particulate matter, which tends to

clog some paint guns. Other painters explained

that the problem could be avoided by changing

the mesh size in the paint gun’s filters and by

increasing the nozzle size. A local paint supplier

had similar concerns about particulate size. He

was concerned he would have to invest in expensive new equipment to mix the paint colors but

was happy to discover that he was already selling

many of the paints APG deemed environmentally

preferable. “Once folks learned that environmentally friendly didn’t mean a clogged paint gun or

expensive new equipment,” explained Barry

Decker, Directorate of Public Works at APG,

“they were really excited about the products.”

* Note: None of the anticorrosive paints tested had acceptable VOC levels, but APG later identified two anticorrosive paints 

meeting the standards.

Maryland Environmental Techno

Demonstration Center 

The Maryland Environmental Technolog

Demonstration Center (METDC) combine

facilities and expertise of federal, state, and 

agencies to demonstrate, test, verify, and eva

environmental technologies for government 

industry custom

With top-of-th

testing equipm

knowledgeable 

METDC can s

almost any env

mental research 

For additional information, please conta

Weismiller at 410 278-5294 or <rweismil@

atc.army.mil>, or William Newton at 410 2

or <wnewton@atc.army.mil>.
not even aware they made low-VOC paints. “Traditionally, manufacturers only wor

about performance, and low-VOC paints perform very well. It’s only recently that

they’ve become concerned about environmental attributes,” explained Mark Petruz

of Green Seal, “which might be why some manufacturers were unaware of their pai

VOC content.”

After eliminating the paints that were no longer available and reviewing the MSDSs 

the remaining paints to remove those that did not meet the APG standards, 107 paints

remained. Green Seal obtained pure-white samples of each paint and provided them to

APG for VOC testing. METDC conducted the tests and 71 of the 107 paints tested

passed. The table below summarizes the combined Phase I and Phase II results.

Table 4. Combined Test Results

Paints evaluated 565 —

Paints eliminated due to unacceptable ingredients 

or reported VOC levels 351 62.1 

Paints no longer manufactured 96 17.0 

Paints unavailable for testing 11 1.9

Paints tested for VOC levels 107 18.9 

Paints meeting APG’s paint standards 71* 12.6 

* Note: None of the anticorrosive paints tested had acceptable VOC levels, but APG later identified two anticorrosive paints 

meeting the standards.

Element Quantity Percentage of

Paints Evaluated 

8 ◆ Project Background
Project Background 

ppy gy ppg 

throughout the store. Products that APG has determined to be environmentally preferable are i

fied with the APG Pollution Prevention (P2) sticker. Generally, products are eligible for the P2 

if they have any of the following environmental attributes:

• Include recycled content

• Are reusable or more durable than similar products

• Have reduced or zero VOCs

• Do not contain any materials reportable under the Superfund Amendments and Reauthoriza

• Minimize chemical content

• Are available in nonaerosol bottles (for products traditionally available in aerosol cans)

Feather dusters and fly swatters, for example, display the APG P2 sticker, while dust and bug 

do not. Similarly, WD-40TM, an oil-based lubricant available in both pump sprays and aerosol can

labeled with a sticker when sold in the pump spray but not when sold in an aerosol can.

The Self Service Supply Center is self-supporting, which means it relies on profits to pay it

ating expenses. As a result, it continues to sell products that do not meet APG’s environmenta

preferable criteria even when alternatives are available because it does not want to alienate po

customers. APG hopes that exposing customers to the more environmentally preferable altern

will raise demand for such products. Based on sales, this strategy appears to be working.

In addition, APG recently awarded a new contract to Blind Industries to run the Self Service 

Center beginning in October 1999. As part of the memorandum of understanding, APG incorp

statement ensuring that Blind Industries will not stock hazardous materials without the consent 

APG Pollution Prevention Program Office. The Pollution Prevention Program Office will help 

fy environmentally preferable alternatives.
ppypy 

then must be disposed of properly. The Re-Nu-It Center eliminates th

problem by collecting and consolidating excess paint for recycling.

10 ◆ Project Background

ters. The center makes

products such as touchup paint, light bulbs,

and lawn mowers available free to the installation’s residents.
environmentally preferable standards do not generate hazardous wastes and do not

require hazardous materials to clean paint brushes and paint guns. According to

Solyan, “This saves $25,000 annually in avoided disposal costs. If all of DoD adopted

our standards, it could avoid more than $1 million a year in disposal costs.”

The new importance placed on the Re-Nu-It Center, where individuals can drop

off excess paint or pick up free paint for touch-up work, reduces paint purchases by

$10,000 a year. Based on APG’s experience, individuals typically do not purchase paint

when they can get it free from the Re-Nu-It Center. The center also further reduces

disposal costs because paint that would have been disposed of is reused instead.

Even more savings result from lower administrative costs to track the paints. “We

used to have to track the paints for inventory purposes and because they were considered a hazardous material,” explained Solyan. “We were tracking hundreds and hundreds of different architectural paints. Now we only have 73 to track, and they do not

have to be reported as hazardous materials.”

Overall, Solyan estimates first-year savings of $60,000. According to his estimates,

the one-time costs of developing the environmentally preferable paint standards were

recovered in 1.5 years.

Using a Nongovernmental Environmental

Standards Organization Can Make Environmentally

Preferable Purchasing Easier 

When APG began investigating ways to improve the environmental performance of

its paints, it was concerned that it did not have sufficient personnel with the appropriate expertise and available time to adequately review the literature on the subject.

Locating a nongovernmental environmental standards organization with the appropriate expertise made APG’s challenge easier.

Lessons Learned 
APG identified 71 paints meeting the standards, which are produced by 13 differen

manufacturers and are available from numerous distributors. The 71 paints include

interior and exterior architectural paints in all finishes. It later identified two antico

rosive paints meeting the standards, which brought the total number of paints to 73

Companies Will Reformulate Products To 

Meet the Standards

APG and Green Seal have both heard anecdotal evidence that paint manufacture

are reformulating their products to meet the increasing demand for environmentall

preferable paints. For example, Lasting Paint Company, Inc., an Aberdeen area pain

manufacturer and distributor, reports that it is reformulating products to meet the

increasing demand. “We’re not just changing because of the Aberdeen standards,”

explained Jason Puig, a company sales representative, “but because we see a growin

market for environmentally friendly paints, especially in the health care field—hosp

tals, nursing homes, and doctors’ offices.”

It Is Important To Verify Environmental 

Attribute Claims

Based on the information reported on MSDSs and provided by the manufacture

107 of the paints to be tested appeared to be within APG’s VOC limits. After testin

however, only 66 percent (71) were within acceptable limits. Reported VOC levels

were frequently different from the VOC levels as measured by APG. Of the 107 te

ed paints, 40 percent were at least 10 percent or more above their reported VOC le

12 ◆ Lessons Learned

4 For a copy of EPA’s policy recommendations, please visit the EPP Web site at <www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp
APG, several nongovernmental

environmental certification and

standards organizations, including

Green Seal, verify environmental

information before certifying a

product. Some, like Green Seal,

also include regular site visits to

manufacturers to ensure they continue to provide products meeting

the certification standards.

In addition, APG and EPA are investigating the legal consequences for manufacturers providing inaccurate MSDS information.

Environmental Champions Are Important

According to Mike Shor, Green Seal’s Vice President for Marketing who has

worked on numerous environmental purchasing projects, the APG project was successful because of the involvement of several strong environmental champions.

“People don’t like to change,” Shor suggested, “which means you really have to show

them that environmental purchasing can be easy and that the products work.”

“The APG team really went out of its way to demonstrate the economic and environmental advantages of environmentally preferable products. They were willing to

get their hands dirty, to consolidate the paints for reuse, to collect the outdated paints

for proper disposal, to work with the painters to demonstrate the products, [and] to

test VOC levels. They are an amazing team,” explained Shor.

Lessons Learned 

Only 19 percent of the 107 paints’ actual VOC levels were w

10 percent of the levels reported by the manufacturers (see to

Eighteen percent of the actual VOC levels were more than 50 p

above the levels reported by the manufacturers (see bottom ch

VOC levels for two of the tested paints were more than 300 pe

higher than reported by the manufacturers. 
mentally preferable purchasing standards.

APG was confident its environmental standards were sound. It just needed to loc

anticorrosive paints meeting the standards. The results of APG’s persistence prove

that you do not have to lower environmental preferability standards to locate comp

ant products. Sometimes, you just have to look a little harder.

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Is a Natura

Part of Any Pollution Prevention Strategy

Like many other EPP pilot projects, APG’s paint project was initiated to meet a

number of pollution prevention objectives, only one of which was complying with

Executive Order 13101. APG adopted the EPP approach because it was a useful to

for meeting its pollution prevention goals. Examining the environmental attributes

associated with its paint purchases allowed APG to select products that save money

perform better, and prevent pollution. As APG’s pilot and others have demonstrate

EPP can be an important component of any pollution prevention initiative.

14 ◆ Lessons Learned
tracking paint and other product purchases easier. It is a user-friendly,

Windows-based program that maintains chemical constituent data,

chemical hazard information, MSDSs, and available quantities. The software notifies users when a product is within 90, 60, and 30 days of its

expiration date so it can be used before it expires and becomes unusable.

APG also is considering centralizing its paint purchases so they can

be controlled from a single location. Currently, paint is purchased by a

variety of offices, making coordination a challenge and potentially leading to unnecessary purchases.

Promoting the Project

APG is promoting its success with its paint standards throughout DoD and the

rest of the federal government. It is encouraging others to examine its research,

methodologies, and successes and to implement similar projects. As a result of its

efforts, others outside of the federal government also are learning about the installation’s success. One example cited by both APG and Green Seal is the April 1999

issue of Pollution Engineering, with a circulation of 59,000, which includes an article

on the APG paint standards.

The installation also is promoting the project in the communities surrounding

APG. Some local manufacturers and distributors are reluctant to promote the APG

standards fearing they will lead to decreased sales. However, Jason Puig, a sales representative for Lasting Paint Company, Inc., explained that his sales have not changed as

a result of the APG standards. “Sales of some products rose, while [sales of] other

products fell,” explained Puig. “Overall, our sales remained about the same.” The

company, however, is developing additional paints to meet the standards in an attempt

to further increase its share of the environmentally preferable paint market.

Next Steps 
selected government purchasers and $2,500 for most government purchasers. Th

IMPAC cards make it easier for designated government purchasers to buy produc

without going through the central government purchasing system. They also

increase the number of government purchasers who must understand and abide b

the APG paint standards.

To minimize the purchase of noncompliant paint, APG is increasing its educational efforts installationwide to explain the importance of its environmental stan

dards. APG also is incorporating its paint standards into the training provided to 

IMPAC card users.

Learning from Other Agencies

While exploring additional pollution prevention opportunities, APG learned tha

the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was developing enviro

mental standards for powder paint coatings and for cleaning products. APG and

NASA are sharing information about their environmentally preferable product stan

dards and each might soon adopt the other’s standards. NASA also is examining AP

HITS software and might modify it to limit the overall quantity of hazardous mate

als stored onsite. APG provided its HITS software to NASA free of charge, and, in

exchange, NASA will provide APG with copies of any improvements it develops.

16 ◆ Next Steps
Next Steps 
• Alternatively Fueled Vehicles

• Anticorrosive Paints

• Chillers

• Clothes Dryers

• Clothes Washers

• Coated Printing Paper

• Compact Fluorescent Lamps

• Cooktops/Ovens/Ranges

• Dishwashers

• Ductless Heat Pumps

• Fleet Vehicle Maintenance

• Freezers

• General Purpose Cleaners

• Lodging Properties

• Newsprint

• Paints

• Paper Products Used to Prepare Food

• Paper Towels and Paper Napkins

• Photocopiers

• Photo Voltaic Modules

• Plastics Labeling Systems

• Pollution-Reducing Vehicles

• Powdered Laundry Bleach

• Printing and Writing Paper

• Re-Refined Engine Oil

• Refrigerators

• Residential Air-Conditioning Systems

• Residential Heat Pumps

• Reusable Utility Bags

• Showerheads

• Tissue Paper

• Water Efficient Fixtures

• Water Heaters

• Watering Hoses

• Window Films

• Windows

18 ◆ Appendix A—Green Seal
Appendix A—Green Seal 

APG’s use of Green Seal’s technical expertise is consistent with the April 1998 policy on the use of nongovernmental environmental certification and standards organizations issued by EPA and the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive. For a

copy of the policy, please visit the EPP Web site at <www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp>.

Product Certification Process

Green Seal offers certification to all products meeting its standards. To become 

certified, a manufacturer must submit the product for evaluation and agree to a site visit

and annual monitoring to ensure continued compliance. If the product meets its standards, Green Seal will grant the manufacturer the right to use the Green Seal of

Approval, subject to ongoing testing and inspection. Should a product fail to meet the

standards on evaluation, Green Seal informs the manufacturer of the reasons and will

work with it to make the changes needed to meet the standards.
Interior Semigloss APG Standard VOC Limit = 150 

Manufacturer Product Name VOC Level (

Benjamin Moore Pristine Interior Latex Semigloss 19 

Benjamin Moore Pristine Interior Latex Eggshell 57 

Benjamin Moore K&B Acrylic Latex Satin Finish 45 

Benjamin Moore Pristine Egg 16 

Benjamin Moore Pristine Semigloss 20 

Benjamin Moore Regal Satin 68 

Benjamin Moore Moore Kitchen & Bath Satin 81 

Benjamin Moore Moorcraft Super Hide Latex Semigloss Enamel 116 

Bruning Paint Pacon Supreme Latex Semi-Lustre Midtone Base 111 

Bruning Paint Pacon Supreme Latex Semi-Lustre Enamel 144 

Duron Plastic Kote Interior Acrylic Semigloss 123 

Duron Pro Kote Interior Acrylic Semigloss 112 

Duron Ultra Deluxe Interior Acrylic Latex Semigloss Enamel 96 

Dutch Boy Fresh Look Interior Latex Semigloss Enamel 119 

Glidden Paint 3400 Spread Satin Latex Wall Paint 107 

* This appendix was accurate as of November 15, 1999. The paints identified in these tables were chosen for analysis against the Ab

Proving Ground standard primarily because they were readily available in the Aberdeen Proving Ground stock. Therefore, this li

as an example of products that meet the Aberdeen Proving Ground architectural paint standard. Aberdeen Proving Ground does 

any particular brand, manufacturer, or distributor of paint.

20 ◆ Appendix B—Examples of Paints Meeting APG Standards
Appendix B—Examples of Paints Meeting APG Standards 

Sherwin Williams Style Perfect Interior Latex Semigloss 120 

Sherwin Williams Style Perfect Interior Satin 90 

Sherwin Williams ProMar 200 Interior Latex Egg-Shell 137 

Sherwin Williams Classic 99 Interior Satin Latex 144 

Interior Gloss APG Standard VOC Limit = 150 g/L

Manufacturer Product Name VOC Level (g/L) 

Duron Deluxe Gloss 117

Exterior Flat APG Standard VOC Limit = 100 g/L

Manufacturer Product Name VOC Level (g/L) 

Benjamin Moore Moore’s Latex Exterior 44 

Benjamin Moore Moorcraft Super Special Premium Latex Exterior Flat 54 

Benjamin Moore Moorcraft Flat 80 

Benjamin Moore Fresh Start Exterior Primer 92 

Benjamin Moore Moorcraft Super Special Premium Latex Exterior House & Trim 67 

United Paint Mfg. Co. Exterior Latex House Paint 18 
22 ◆ Appendix B—Examples of Paints Meeting APG Standards

Exterior Gloss APG Standard VOC Limit = 200 

Manufacturer Product Name VOC Level 

Dutch Boy Performer Exterior Latex Gloss 96 

Sherwin Williams Super Paint Exterior Gloss Latex 80 

Sherwin Williams A-100 Gloss 107 

Sherwin Williams A-100 Exterior Gloss Latex 64 

United Coatings Wal-Mart Accent Base Exterior Gloss House & Trim 81

Anticorrosive APG Standard VOC Limit = 250 

Manufacturer Product Name VOC Level 

Sherwin Williams Krylon - Rough Tough Latex - 1 217 

Sherwin Williams Krylon - Rough Tough Latex - 2 217 
* For additional information on the GSA and EPA cleaning products attribute matrix, please see the following

EPA publications: Environmentally Preferable Purchasing in Action—Cleaning Products Pilot Project Fact Sheet

(EPA742-F-97-001), a 4-page fact sheet describing the project, and Cleaning Products Pilot Project—An

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Case Study (EPA742-R-97-002), a 20-page project case study. Both publications are available from the EPP Web site <www.epa.gov/opptintr/epp> or by calling the Pollution

Prevention Information Clearinghouse at 202 260-1023.

mance factors:

Environmental Factors

• Air Pollution Potential—based on the calculated VOC-content levels using a

formula provided to manufacturers.

• Product Packaging—whether a manufacturer’s product is distributed in minimal or reduced packaging, packaging containing recycled-content materials,

or packaging that is recyclable.

• Product Take-Back—whether a manufacturer participates in a product takeback program in which it or a designated third-party collects unused paint for

reuse or recycling.

Performance Factors

• Dry Film Thickness—the manufacturer’s recommended paint application

thickness.

• Theoretical Spread Rate—the size of the area 1 gallon of paint will cover when

applied at the recommended dry film thickness.

Appendix C—Other Environmentally Preferable Paint Pilot Projects 
U.S. Air Forces New Paint Products

Since 1995, the U.S. Air Force Research Lab at Wright Patterson Air Force Bas

Ohio has been developing a more durable airplane paint that does not contain chro

mates. The Air Force’s maintenance costs for paint-related activities are more than

$700 million per year. Aircraft painting, stripping, and repainting represents approx

mately 75 percent of the hazardous waste materials generated by the U.S. Air Force

As a result, the Air Force would consider a more durable, less toxic paint to be envi

ronmentally, and economically, preferable.

A fleet of C-17 aircraft proved a good test for developing a new paint product. T

anticorrosive paint traditionally used on the C-17’s contains chromium, which is

potentially hazardous to humans, and begins peeling and fading after only 18 mont

requiring significant touch-up painting that can be time consuming and costly. In

addition, the touch-up frequently results in mismatched colors, making the coating

appear mottled, which could make detecting damage to the aircraft more difficult. A

a result, the entire aircraft must be stripped and repainted. 

When deciding to investigate a more durable paint, the Air Force also decided to

seek a paint that did not include chromium. The Air Force Research Lab asked its

contractor, McDonald-Douglas, to approach the paint vendors with their problem.

With the Air Force willing to pay a little extra for a more durable, less hazardous

paint, McDonald-Douglas researched and identified a paint vendor that could deve

such a product.

The Air Force began testing the new paint on the C-17 aircraft in February 199

Thus far, the chromate-free paint appears to accomplish the dual objectives of incre

ing durability and lowering toxicity. After more than a year in the field, the test 

C-17’s topcoat had maintained its properties, showing few signs of peeling or fading

The coating proved easier to touch up, and the reduced painting-related maintenan

24 ◆ Appendix C—Other Environmentally Preferable Paint Pilot Projects
, g, pg pg p,

money, and paint and reduces VOC emissions. Reducing VOC emissions became an

important TARDEC goal for two reasons. First, California’s limits for VOC content

in paint were lower than what was currently available to the Army, and other states

appear to be adopting similar limits. Second, Department of Natural Resources offices

around the country began requiring Army facilities to purchase and operate scrubbers

to limit VOC emissions. As a result of these challenges, the Army began seeking paint

products that would meet state VOC limits and eliminate the need to purchase costly

scrubbing equipment. 

While attending a trade show, TARDEC learned about UNICARB, the Union

Carbide Super Critical Carbon Dioxide Application Process, which mixes paint with

carbon dioxide (CO2) instead of solvent to create a lower-VOC coating. TARDEC

approached the manufacturer about testing the system for possible use by the Army.

After securing initial funding through an EPA grant, administered by the Army

Acquisition Pollution Prevention Support Office, TARDEC entered into an agreement

with the contractor to supply the UNICARB system. The Army, however, also requested a unique low-VOC coating to use with the equipment to further reduce VOC emissions. Union Carbide did not have a paint product meeting the request but entered

into a licensing agreement with paint manufacturers to develop the new coating. 

Using the new paint and application process eliminates the need to acquire $4.5

million dollar scrubbers. The results of two demonstration projects suggest additional

savings. One of the projects reduced paint use by 67 percent, VOC emissions by 78

percent, and painting time by 33 percent and included savings of $114 per gallon of

paint used. A second project, which involved painting U.S. Army tanks and personnel

carriers, achieved a 25 percent reduction in paint quantities and comparable VOC and

cost reductions. In addition, the second project demonstrated significant time savings,

thanks to a two-hose design that enabled two people to paint at the same time.

Although the new paint is 20 percent more expensive than traditional high-VOC

Appendix C—Other Environmentally Preferable Paint Pilot Projects 
26 ◆ Appendix C—Other Environmentally Preferable Paint Pilot Projects
g , , 

environmentally preferable purchasing evolves and expands. Please contact the EPP program by e-mail, regular mail, or fax:

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

401 M Street, SW. (7409)

Washington, DC 20460

e-mail: epp.pilot@epa.gov

Fax: 202 260-0178
2 ◆ Overview