VOC-free colours across the board - Laurentide Paint becomes the first paint
manufacturer in Canada to use VOC-free colorants in all company product lines

SHAWINIGAN, QC, Oct. 26 /CNW Telbec/ - Laurentide Paint announces a huge leap forward in favour of the environment by becoming the first paint manufacturer in Canada to use colorants free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in all corporate product lines. The move is unprecedented in the Canadian paint industry. The new universal colouring system will be implemented from January 2011 in all 300 Laurentide points of sale in Québec and the Atlantic provinces.

This innovation stems from a partnership with multinational Clariant, world leader in specialty chemicals. With the new colouring system, consumers will enjoy access to any of the 1050 shades which together make up Laurentide's Simple colour chart. And they will be able to do so in the knowledge that all available colours, even the darkest shades, are VOC-free. Additionally, these new colorants, compatible with all types of paint, will be used to colour all latex and alkyd paints across the full breadth of the Laurentide paint spectrum.

"We are particularly proud to be the first in Canada to offer a single, VOC-free colouring system for all of our product lines. Our efforts will most certainly contribute handsomely to raising environmental standards within our industry," stated André Buisson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Laurentide Inc.  

High performance, eco-friendly colorants

The use of more eco-friendly VOC-free colorants will enable Laurentide Inc. to provide consumers with more high performance paints. The new colorants have indeed demonstrated superior technical efficacy when compared with conventional colorants. They can be used with all paint bases for enhanced wear and washability. In addition, paint incorporating the new colorants can be applied more easily and more uniformly. This technology also has the advantage of considerably alleviating latex paint odour, thereby enhancing ambient air quality during application.

Totally VOC-free paints

Laurentide Inc. has been hard at work to reduce VOC content in company products. Several months back, the company took the initiative of revisiting the composition of VT2, MT2 and Titanium brand paints, all of which are now completely VOC-free. With the new universal colouring system, consumers can be certain to enjoy access to paints which are 100% free of VOCs.

Other Laurentide brands such as Laurentide and Series, each compliant with Canadian standards respecting VOCs, will also benefit from this latest innovation.

Laurentide's Simple colour chart

Laurentide recently revisited its entire range of colours and introduced a new in-store display unit which makes it easier for consumers to mix and match colours. The new Laurentide system dubbled Simple is exceptionally easy to use and features an exclusive selection of 1050 colours.

With Simple, consumers can choose colours in three different ways. They can proceed based on recommendations (Essentials, a collection of 80 designed-prized colours), trend-setting suggestions (Atmospheres), or organizational appeal (warm and cool colours arranged respectively on the right- and left-hand sides of the display case).

To locate the nearest Laurentide point of sale, call us at 1 888 537-5925 or visit our website at www.laurentide.biz.   

About Laurentide Inc.

Founded at Shawinigan in 1950, Laurentide Inc. is a Canadian-based manufacturing company which operates in the following sectors of activity: residential paint, industrial paint, paint reclamation and recycling, vehicle maintenance products, as well as the bottling of spring water. From the company's administrative centre in Shawinigan, Laurentide Inc. manages plants in Shawinigan, Montréal, Victoriaville (QC) and Springhill (NS), as well as distribution centres in Shawinigan (QC), Richibucto (NB) and St John's (NL), and points of service in Ontario and Western Canada. The company employs a staff of 400 persons.

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