Sustainability in Building and Construction: LCA of 21 Mural Paints

Sustainability and environmental impact assessment are essential to orient new generation of materials for building and construction. In this study, life cycle assessment was applied to a set of 21 mural paints produced by a paint factory in Italy. Data collection covered upstream processes (i.e., raw materials extraction and supply), the core process (i.e., paint manufacture and packaging) and downstream processes (i.e., transport to retailers). Material and energy inputs and outputs for the main components employed in paint manufacturing (e.g., antifoaming agents, dispersants, coalescing agents, additives, biocides and similar) were gathered from primary and secondary data sources. Life cycle impact assessment results were estimated for global warming potential (on average, 1.03 ± 0.60 kg CO2/kg paint), photochemical oxidation (0.60 ± 0.46 g C2H4/kg paint), abiotic depletion (1.94 ± 1.58 g Sb/kg paint), acidification (6.80 ± 6.64 g SO2/kg paint), and eutrophication (1.96 ± 1.47 g PO4/kg paint). Overall, upstream processes are responsible for the greatest environmental impact (on average, more than 70% for global warming potential), with titanium rutile from sulfates being the most impacting raw material. The results informed decision makers and provided a basis for achieving improvement and greener production strategies in paint manufacturing.