problem statement

Since the popularity increase of plastic in manufacturing processes, it has been a part of the world of art (StirPad, 2023). Acrylic paint is the biggest offender: it is bound with a liquid plastic binder which, when poured down drains, actively deposits microplastics into the water system (Jackson’s Art, 2023). The primary solution for this is a water filtration system which overcomplicates the clean-up process and still does not eliminate the issue or completely mitigate the plastic contamination (Just Paint, 1996; Golden Artists Colors, 2020).

A good solution to this problem is changing paints. Watercolour paints, including those we produce at Stoneground Paint Company, are inherently more sustainable than an oil or acrylic paint could ever be. Watercolour paint is comprised of three substances: pigment for colour, gum Arabic as a binder which gives the paint the intended texture, and honey which is a natural preservative (Rivers Are Life, 2023). Even with watercolour, it isn’t advisable to dump pigments (which are often complex and toxic chemicals, including heavy metals) down the drain. But a lot of the issue with plastic and pollution is mitigated and a simple filtration system, like one made using cat litter, would pull all of the pigments out of the water, allowing the water system to stay intact.

Because watercolour is already much more natural and biodegradable than other paint mediums, it defies logic and environmental efforts to present it in a plastic container. Half pans are small rectangular containers that hold about 2ml of paint. Each paint produced at Stoneground Paint Company is poured into a hard plastic half pan before being shipped to the consumer. This use of plastic immediately negates the basic premise of the company.

Supporting our mission statement, the Bioplastic Manufacturing, Research and Development Initiative seeks to bridge this gap. At Stoneground it has always been a back-burner long-term future goal to offer a fully biodegradable product selection and this initiative is our first true step in achieving that.

In recent years, several industry competitors have debuted that have similar sustainability commitments to that of Stoneground (Beam Paints, n.d.). Failure to comply to more rigorous self-imposed goals will dramatically alter our competitive positioning and general ability to compete in an ever-growing industry with increasing demand for sustainable products (Fyfe, 2021).

With this funding, we can secure competitive advantage in the field by being the first major watercolour brand to market with moisture-stable, biodegradable half pans made from bioplastic.