ECOS-Frequently Asked Questions
COMMON QUESTIONS/ENQUIRIES
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Q - Are ECOS products suitable for use in babies rooms or for those with chemical sensitivities, asthma, allergies, M.E. etc
A - Yes, ideally so - no need to vacate any rooms at any time.
Q - Can I reduce my Carbon footprint by using Ecos products?
A - Yes.
Q - Is Ecos a Carbon-Neutral company?
A - No. There is no such thing as a Carbon-Neutral company/community/building, etc.
All human, animal & plant existence involves the emission of CO2 & other greenhouse gases. Carbon offset or trading in carbon credits in no way equates to carbon-neutral. Low-CO2-Equivalent paint products are almost always equally misleading & require the input of inordinately high energy (CO2) levels to manufacture in the first place. The best that anyone can do is to reduce their carbon footprint as much as they are able, recycle sensibly & reduce energy consumption..
Q - Can I put ECOS straight onto old paint finishes?
A - Yes
Q - Is ECOS micro porous and breathable?
A - Yes
Q - Is ECOS as good as the brand leaders?
A - NO - it is far better because ECOS is made up to the highest quality and not down to a price.
Q - Do Ecos paints contain any animal products?
A - None of our products contain any animal product of any kind and they are therefore suitable for both vegetarians and vegans. None are tested on animals.
Q - How long will Ecos last if I keep it?
A - Most consumer products have a finite shelf life & this includes all types & brands of wet paint. If kept frost-free, we will guarantee any unopened products for 12 months from the date of purchase; many of of our customers report using Ecos products up to 5 years after purchase, but we could not guarantee the quality after such time.
Q - Distempers, Limewashes & ClayPaints are mainly solvent-free & sometimes even cheaper, so why would I buy Ecos?
A - Distempers, Limewashes & ClayPaints are reversible coatings which re-dissolve in water (ie. - not really paints). They normally take 3 - 5 coats to cover, will wash off easily with a damp cloth & often rub off onto your clothes. Worse still, when the time comes to redecorate, the product already on the walls commonly redissolves in the fresh paint or distemper & turns into a pasty mess - the only answer being a complete removal of the original layers down to bare plaster & to start from fresh.
Q - Why should I buy ECOS rather than the "low odour" products widely available?
A - For your health, for your peace of mind and for your environment
Q - How pure is pure?
A - about 7000 times purer than our closest competitor! In the USA, EPA rules allow any paint with less than 5gm per litre ( 0.5% ) VOCs to call itself Zero VOC; in contrast to this, all Ecos Products are truly free of all VOCs and are approximately 12,500x purer than this (yes, more than Twelve thousand times better ! ).
Q - Why organic?
A - All Ecos products are free of pesticides, free of herbicides and entirely non-toxic - a fact which I was happy to demonstrate recently to the HSE - and - witnessed by them - consumed a spoonful of Ecos paint chosen at random by them from any container in the factory.
Q - Does the use of VOC-free paint help to counter climate change?
A - Yes, it really does, and in no small measure.
The use of paints worldwide emitted something in the order of 20 - 25 million tonnes of VOCs into the atmosphere last year * & despite measures & legislation to reduce this problem, will continue to do so for the forseeable future year on year. By using VOC-free paints, you are helping to do your bit to save the planet, reduce air pollution & reduce this needless waste of our valuable finite resources.
*UN/WHO documents ehc 187 et al.
Q - Ecolabelling - Why do Ecos paints not carry the EU - Defra Ecolabel flower symbol?
A - Firstly, because all Ecos products are better (purer) than the lowest Ecolabel category by a factor of about x 7000 ! Secondly, because this system, whilst well-intentioned, is pointless, because it allows the manufacturer to use the prestigious EU Flower Symbol on their paints whilst still containing very high solvent levels - ( if the boiling point is high, ie - 250c or above - the EU does not consider this to be a solvent at all ).
This is quite surprising as the boiling point of the world's # 1 paint solvent is...... 251 degrees c !
Q. - isn't the whole current eco-movement just a fad ? - everyone seems to be "going green" these days. ?
A. - eco-awareness & taking care of our planet and it's resources is vital for all of us and for future generations: going green is
here to stay & many companies are going greener whether they like it or not - driven by legislation & carbon levies - and so
will seek to maximise these eco-credentials.
Ecos pre-dates the current popular surge of interest (2007) by about twenty years & was started in 1988. Ecos specializes in paint & varnish products only - we dont sell mortars, plasters, putties or other eco-products as we feel that it is better to do one thing and to do it well.
Q. - in what ways are Ecos Paints & varnishes different to their "natural" competitors ?
A. - there ARE no such entirely Natural competitors - even worldwide. If one searches carefully the data of such producers, you will find that they all DO include synthetic materials. There is, in our opinion, nothing wrong with this, as long as this fact is stated openly, but that to hide this fact in the "small print" is simply misleading to the customer. *Also, all Ecos Paints are specially formulated to be Ultra Low Spatter.
Q. - how much paint or varnish do I need?
A. - visit Our Paint calculator here - new window
Q - Aren't Ecos Organic Paints, given their added benefits, overly expensive ?
A - Not at all - even compared to mainstream paints, they remain very competitive indeed, but many brands are sold only in non-standard sizes, such as 2L or 2.25L, which makes direct price comparisons difficult, but if we compare like for like for 5L, for example, below is a cross-section of Matt coloured wallpaints seen at one of the leading DIY stores on 23.2.07
UK mainstream # 1 Brand Leader £30.62
UK mainstream # 2 Brand Leader type A £34.02
UK mainstream # 2 Brand Leader type B £32.32
Also, on the same date, some Internet "Niche" paint prices:
European niche Claypaint £33.61
European niche "Natural" paint £47.23
UK Ecos Organic Paint £29.74 *
all are excl. of vat.