Thinking outside of the can: Sustainable management of post-consumer paint and packaging in Finland

Abstract

Waste affects all of us, as we all generate it. On average, according to the European Commission (2010), each of the 500 million EU residents produces half a tonne of household rubbish a year. As the amount of waste is increasing, its composition is containing more hazardous materials than before. Current treatments of hazardous waste, such as landfilling and incineration, lead to the loss of valuable materials and a greater resource scarcity. Decorative paint waste contributes to significant volumes of household hazardous waste in Finland, presenting a challenge to the government, society and the natural environment.

The main objective of this study was to analyze current status of leftover decorative paint and packaging waste management in Finland and explore opportunities for making it more sustainable. Also, this study looked at how sustainability in paint relates to user experience. The goal of the user research was to find solutions, which could meet the need of a growing number of environmentally conscious consumers, who have expectations of companies to improve their sustainability performance.

Questions of paint waste are addressed in this research through the lens of sustainability. In the beginning, this master’s thesis evaluates the situation with a management of post-consumer paint and its packaging in Finland and tries to find out how sustainable the paint management is at the moment. Literature research, official waste management data, interviews and surveys reveal that the existing system lacks an adequate level of sustainability and requires attention. The author suggests that active collaboration and partnership between paint industry actors can help to achieve a gradual change. The Natural Step (TNS) methodology is used to guide this research inquiry, while practical case studies are outlining opportunities and challenges for business application.

Based on the research findings, an SWPM (Sustainable Waste Paint Management) program is suggested to be implemented in the context of Finland.Furthermore, actions for program implementation, stakeholder engagement, challenges and opportunities are described. In the end future research opportunities related to management of post-consumer paint are presented.