BERKSHIRE: Dulux Trade, Forum for the Future and Carillion, have joined forces to conduct a three-year investigation into how sustainable innovation can save organisations both time and money, and even help them break into new markets.

Workshops to strategise, implement, monitor and evaluate the three-year programme were held on a rotational basis at Carillion project locations including at Heathrow's Terminal Five and the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth, and at ICI Paints AkzoNobel and Forum for the Future locations.

The Project Zero Emission Enterprise (ZEE) research programme culminated in 'Paint the Town Green,' a white paper that details the product and service innovations that developed from the project, and the commercial benefits they can achieve. It explains how other major organisations can conduct environmental and social responsibility-driven innovation, and why this makes good business sense.

During the research programme, the entire lifecycle of paint was investigated with the aim of making each stage more sustainable, from raw materials, through manufacturing to use and disposal.

Following this, Dulux Trade has been able to launch a number of innovations into the marketplace, including Ecosure Matt.

It is a second-generation product which is virtually VOC-free and contains 35% less C02 than standard formulations.

Dr Phil Taylor, the lead contact from ICI Paints AkzoNobel on the project, said: "In addition to implementing manufacturing improvements that save millions of litres of water, Dulux Trade also launched the Environmental Wash System to save water onsite.

"This mobile brush and roller cleaning station for building sites prevents contaminated water being poured down the drain by capturing it for reuse once the paint residue has been filtered out. The company also launched the Paint Solidifier in 2009, a product that eliminates the now illegal practise of sending leftover liquid paint to landfill or pouring it down a drain.

"When the product is mixed with paint, it is solidified in the can and then the resulting end product can be treated as normal solid waste, while the container can be recycled."

Peter Madden, chief executive of Forum for the Future, said: "Our work with Dulux Trade and Carillion shows that sustainable innovation makes good business sense. If such great things can be achieved with paint, imagine what can be done with other products and services like cars, mobile phones, holidays and homes."