Quebec paint industry
In Quebec, there are approximately 30 paint manufacturers whose products are marketed under hundreds of brand names. Some are very well known, while others are private labels. Their target markets are Quebec and beyond, since much of their production is sold elsewhere in Canada or exported abroad. The Canadian paint industry generates about 11,000 direct jobs in the country, while subcontracting, transportation, marketing, retail sales and related products, home decoration, maintenance and renovation provide work for more than 100,000 people.
Every year, Quebecers purchase more than 50 million litres of paint, in more than 12 million containers. It is estimated that about 7% of this paint is not used and sooner or later finds its way into the garbage. As for the containers themselves, 100% of them could be recycled.
This hazardous household waste accounts for more than 4.5 million kilos of paint, metal and plastic annually that may end up in landfill sites. All of this material could be recovered, much of it reclaimed, and the metal and plastic recycled.
Aware of the importance of taking action, the Quebec government passed legislation and the Ministry of the Environment adopted a regulation forcing paint manufacturers to recover paint containers and leftover paint.
In order to meet its obligations, the paint industry voluntarily opted to take positive concerted action that does not adversely affect the industry or penalize the consumer and which is good for the environment. In fact, the industry had already taken the initiative of developing a recovery program before the legislation was passed.
On the invitation of leading industry representatives, most of Quebec’s paint manufacturers have chosen to join the Société québécoise de la gestion écologique de la peinture: Éco-peinture, presently the only agency authorized by the Ministry of the Environment to relieve the companies of their obligations.
The member companies of the Société québécoise de la gestion écologique de la peinture