Eco-ethical Art and Sustainability

Unless you have easy access to a specialist paint disposal site it is inevitable that some waste pigment gets 'washed down the drain' as a result of cleaning brushes. Although watercolours are generally considered to be 'safe' I have become more conscious of the toxicity and degradability of the pigments that I use in order to minimise potential contamination to water systems and aquatic life. Many manufacturers provide safety data sheets for their products which outline hazards to human health but the information about environmental toxicology and degradability is sadly often vague or not specified. As a simple rule, I avoid pigments containing lead, cadmium, chromium, nickel or cobalt as these are likely to be toxic. Mineral pigments based on iron oxides are usually fine. The pigment codes on products (see image on the right where the example code is PR101) can be used to look up the properties of the pigment such as it's composition, lightfastness and toxicity. A helpful free database of pigment properties categorized by pigment codes can be found on this website .I use this to ensure my pigments are grade A (i.e. least hazardous) for toxicity. Plant derived pigments can be both non-toxic and biodegradable but the compromise is they are often not guaranteed to be lightfast so their colours can change or fade over time.