MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE

Our mission

As a sustainable company, our mission is to paint a brighter future for the industry, our customers and the world. Our “People. Planet. Paint.” promise touches everything we do. “People” refers to the way we’re empowering our employees and our local communities – read more here. For the “Planet”, we’re minimising the environmental impact of our operations; we are committed to cutting the carbon emissions of our entire supply chain in half by 2030. Currently, all of our sites in the UK and Ireland use 100% renewable electricity, and our production facility in Ashford is the world’s most sustainable factory, with half the carbon footprint of traditional factories.

And when it comes to “Paints”, we’re working hard to create pioneering solutions and bring you a wider choice of more sustainable paints and finishes. The goal is, of course, to make it easy for you to find more sustainable choices when you’re decorating, whether it’s opting for paints that last longer (as you’ll buy less paint less often) or lower-carbon paints that are less harmful to the environment. 

What we’re doing to lower waste, re-use and recycle

For decades we have also been working to lessen the impact of our packaging by streamlining our designs to reduce material use and offer the right range of sizes to suit your projects. By 2025, we are planning to ensure that all of our plastic packaging formats contain at least 50% recycled content. These new dark grey packs are being rolled out across our most popular products, so you’ll soon be able to find the products you love, packaged with half the amount of virgin plastic.

What you can do to re-use and recycle

No matter how delighted you are with the results of your decorating project, it can be tricky to figure out how to responsibly dispose of the paint and tins you no longer need. Thankfully, there are options to either re-use or recycle your decorating leftovers.

If you’re left with excess paint, consider Community RePaint, one of our partners for over 30 years. This network of non-profit organisations collects local leftover paint and redistributes it for a very low cost to charities, community groups and those in social need. Visit their website to see how to find a drop-off point near you.

Some of our paint product packaging, such as the metal or plastic lids from any of our products, can be placed in household recycling. Dry and empty metal packs are accepted at most local recycling points, though recycling services vary for plastic packs – check online to see the nearest recycling facility and their guidelines. Additionally, many decorative merchants, including our Dulux Decorator Centres also offer free can recycling services.

We’ve also been developing new recycling solutions for our roller testers, such as the Dulux Tester Takeback scheme, trialling in selected stores across key retailers.

Buying what you need

Of course, you can buy less paint over time by reducing the chances of over-estimating the amount of paint you’ll need from the start. Before you kick off your decorating project, visit our quick and easy Paint Calculator to figure out the amount of paint that’s required so you don’t buy more than you need – it’s a handy tool that will help you save money and help lower your environmental impact with every project.

Want to know more? Read about our approach to sustainable business here, explore our sustainable paint solutions for the home or see how we’re brightening communities with the power of colour.