You have most likely heard of VOC’s (read more about Volatile Organic Compounds) by now, especially when it comes to buying paint products. Keeping things simple, VOC’s are the stuff that make our products work good…but they’re not so good for our health or the environment. VOC’s have had quite an impact on the painting industry in recent years with ongoing restrictions being implemented and how these products can be formulated.
This swift trend seems to start in California as an introduction to a more national change that will be embraced. The initial Clean Air Act (CAA) was first created in 1970 by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency. In California, the SCAQMD (South Coast Air Quality Management District) has been around since 1976 which locally regulates the limits of VOC’s that can be present in various products such as paints, lacquers, adhesives and cleaning supplies, etc. For those painters and finishers that work or have worked in the Southern California area, these changes come as no surprise for most of you.
As far back as 1989, these changes began to affect the painting industry and many were concerned that the products they used would become obsolete and their businesses would be negatively impacted. Surprisingly however, history has shown us that new formulations are created and a wider selection of products hit the market in their predecessor’s absence; this continues to revolutionize the industry time and time again by paving the way for better alternatives to the old favorites.
There are however periods of pain as a result of these regulation implementations. As of January 1, 2014, further limitations to VOC content have gone into effect and these new regulations affect some of our favorite Faux Effects products. We share this info with you so you can be informed on the inevitable direction our industry is headed and what that can mean for you and your business. For painters and finishers, it could mean that some of the beloved products you use could change. But there is no need to despair!
Faux Masters Studio and Faux Effects International, Inc. remain committed in their partnership to address this issue head-on and we are dedicated to finding long-term solutions that comply with current and future regulations that affect our products and their usage. We are exploring all options to adapt to these new guidelines such as product reformulations as well as smaller volume quantities. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to order your products in advance to ensure availability and timely delivery.
Our goal is to create as much of a seamless transition as possible as we maneuver through new regulations. Faux Effects continues its commitment in offering the best eco-friendly products available to the market being resilient to adapt and meet the current regulations. Faux Masters Studio remains dedicated in providing the best products, tools, instruction, and customer service available to help you be successful in your creative endeavors.
