OTTAWA, Ontario – Environment Canada’s recently completed evaluation of the VOC Concentration Limits for Architectural Coatings Regulations reveals that the Canadian paint and coatings industry has significantly reduced low-level emissions over the past four years. The study was done to evaluate the performance four years after the regulations came into force. “We were most pleased that the VOC testing confirmed the industry met the expectations with respect to the requirements established under the VOC regulations for the paint and coatings industry,” commented Gary LeRoux, President and CEO of CPCA.

Four indicators were used to assess the performance of the architectural coatings VOC regulations:  percentage of products meeting the regulatory standards; marketplace availability of lower VOC products before and after the regulations; reduction of VOC emissions for the sector before and after the regulations; and Canada’s overall performance in VOC reduction and alignment with other jurisdictions, particularly in North America. Environment Canada’s accredited laboratories did the testing for the 10 main architectural coatings categories under the VOC regulations. The top 46 architectural paint manufacturing companies were confidentially surveyed for detailed VOC information. Ten of the responding companies were among the top 12 that represent 70 percent of the market size in Canada. “It was clear that a detailed qualitative survey and random sampling of paint products sold by the large manufacturers enhanced the credibility of the study,” said LeRoux.