It’s all about doing business in a way that will benefit people and planet. This means we embed the B Corp values in everything we do:\nBeing our customer’s partner in decorating\nMaking better decisions for the planet\nContributing to communities\nLooking after our employees\nConsidering our stakeholders\n

All of our paint is water-based and trace VOC (recognised on the VOC global scheme), which means fewer harmful chemicals, better air quality and a healthier home.\nMade to order batches to reduce waste\nTrace VOC (volatile organic compound)\nWater-based formula\nMade in the UK\n

All our wallpaper is manufactured in the UK and printed using UL ECOLOGO®8 and UL GREENGUARD Gold certified inks for easier recycling. \nUse of excess cut-offs in the packaging process \nMade-to-order batches reduce waste\nSustainably sourced and felled \n

We’ve worked hard to create tools that are high-quality, durable and made from sustainably-sourced materials. Our range includes 0% plastic, reusable paint trays and ethically sourced bamboo handle brushes and rollers – everything you need for a flawless finish and to decorate your home with consideration for our collective home, planet Earth.  \nCompostable, biodegradable or recyclable\nSustainably farmed bamboo\nSugarcane pulp trays \nRecycled metal \n

A lot of thought went into where, how, and at what cost (to the planet) our boxes are manufactured. They can be reused up to seven times and are 100% biodegradable.\n80% of our boxes are made from recycled sources\nUnbleached and unprocessed boxes\n100% biodegradable boxes\n

It’s all about doing business in a way that will benefit people and planet. This means we embed the B Corp values in everything we do:

All of our paint is water-based and trace VOC (recognised on the VOC global scheme), which means fewer harmful chemicals, better air quality and a healthier home.

All our wallpaper is manufactured in the UK and printed using UL ECOLOGO®8 and UL GREENGUARD Gold certified inks for easier recycling. 

We’ve worked hard to create tools that are high-quality, durable and made from sustainably-sourced materials. Our range includes 0% plastic, reusable paint trays and ethically sourced bamboo handle brushes and rollers – everything you need for a flawless finish and to decorate your home with consideration for our collective home, planet Earth.  

A lot of thought went into where, how, and at what cost (to the planet) our boxes are manufactured. They can be reused up to seven times and are 100% biodegradable.

So you’re done painting for a home decor project (for now), but there’s still some perfectly usable paint left in the tin. What next? Before you go ahead and dispose of it: wait. Did you know that every year an estimated 20 million litres of solidified paint that could be reused, donated or remanufactured ends up in landfills across the country? We want to encourage our community to make conscious purchases. That’s why, together with PaintCare, we want to help you waste less when decorating and help tackle leftover paint. \nFrom buying the right amount, storing your paint correctly, and getting creative with leftover paint, to donating and recycling. We want to be part of the solution, not the problem. Here are a few ideas on what to do with leftover paint so it doesn’t have to go to waste.\nBut first... buy right\nHow can you avoid having leftover paint in the first place? Prevention is better than a cure, so buying the right amount of paint is key to avoiding leftover tins at the end of a job. In fact, an estimated 30% of excess paint is due to miscalculation and over-ordering. That’s why we’ve created our helpful paint calculator. Simply choose the paint you want on our website and next to “choose quantity” click “try our paint calculator”.\nWhat to do with leftover paint\nStore right and save for touch-ups\nDone with your DIY project and have some paint left over? You don’t need to put it to use straight away - save it! You never know when it could come in handy for any touch-ups needed in the future.\nIt’s not just tinned food that likes to be kept in a dry, cool, dark place. If stored correctly, your paint tins will last much longer too.\nHere’s how to store your paint the right way so it doesn’t go ‘bad’: \nMake sure it’s sealed in an airtight container, which most paint cans are. Make sure to clean the rim and replace the lid firmly after use\nStore leftover paint in a cool, dry place. Avoid anywhere that’s too hot, too cold, or too humid. \nDon’t have much leftover paint? Pour it into a smaller container to reduce the paint-to-air ratio and keep it fresher for longer.\nGet crafty\nWhile painting for DIY or decor projects is our first love, you can also use your paint for some good old-fashioned arts and crafts fun. Unleash your crafty side by using any leftover paint to get a little creative. Get some blank canvas and paint your heart out. 

Upcycle furniture\nPaint isn’t just for your walls and ceilings. It also comes in super handy if you want to make over existing pieces of furniture that could do with a bit of a spruce. Use any leftover paint to \nupcycle furniture\n and save yourselves the cost (and hassle) of having to invest in new pieces. Oh, and you’re helping the environment in two ways here: by not throwing away your leftover paint and by saving old furniture pieces from landfill. \nCheck out \nhow to upcycle your bedside table by doing a little IKEA malm hack\n or \nlearn how to upcycle cabinets in your bathroom using leftover paint\n.

Donate it \nConsider donating your leftover paint if you can’t find a use for it yourself and give it a new home.  Ask your family or friends if they’d like it for any decor or upcycling projects. Or reach out to local businesses or schools to check whether they may like it. Consider some of the organisations that would welcome your donations, like your local community centres, homeless shelters, or schools. Alternatively, you could even give your paint away on online marketplace listings like Facebook Marketplace.\nHow to dispose of paint in an eco-friendly way  \nIf you can’t find another use for your leftover paint, have nowhere to store it, and no one to donate it to, make sure you dispose of it carefully to avoid causing any harm to the environment. \nRecycle it\nRight now, only a third of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) accept liquid paint. It’s part of our joint mission with PaintCare to improve these figures. Use PaintCare’s \nrecycling locator\n to find your nearest HWRC and once you’re there follow the instructions on which method of recycling or disposal to use. Depending on your local centre, your leftover paint will either be recycled into new paint or other products, used in energy recovery or sent for proper disposal.\nFor more information, check out our guide on \nhow to dispose of paint cans\n safely. \nWant to know more about our sustainability efforts? We have an all-new \nSustainability hub\n for that.

At Lick, we want to make reusing and recycling our products as easy as using them is. Not all recyclables are created equal, and depending on where you live, some items may not be included in your local recycling collection. We're here to help you decode the eco lingo. To make recycling simple.\n\nLick paint\n\nHow to reuse paint\nWondering \nwhat to do with leftover paint\n? Unfortunately, no paint can be recycled, but there are plenty of ways to reuse it. \nOur paint\n is super durable and can be used on plenty of different surfaces. Create your own potato print works of art, repaint a kitchen chair, or create a Bloomsbury-inspired fireplace. Alternatively, check with your local council if there are any paint recycling schemes. Your leftover palettes could go towards brightening up a local community centre, renovating government housing or repainting a homeless shelter. For more ways of reusing paint, \nexplore our guide on ways to use leftover paint\n.\n\nHow to dispose of paint\nDiscover \nhow to dispose of old paint cans\n safely. If you do decide to dispose of your leftover paint, you need to make sure it has hardened. When it comes to \npaint tin disposal\n, repeat after us: wet paint can't go to the landfill! Try adding sawdust, sand, or even coffee grounds to your tin and wait for it to solidify. Once it has, you can responsibly dispose of it along with your household waste. To redress the balance, Lick has teamed up with 4ocean and is committed to helping clear the equivalent of two plastic bottles from the sea, for every tin of paint sold. \nMore on our pledge here\n.\n\nHow to dispose of paint tins\nWe think our tins are rather handsome, so before you decide to chuck them, what about repurposing them as an industrial-chic vase, a herb planter, or a pot to keep your paint brushes? If you decide not to hang onto your Lick tins, after a proper rinsing you can dispose of them with your household recycling or at your nearest recycling centre. To be sure, check with your local council.

\nLick decorating supplies\n\nWe're very proud of our supplies at Lick, all of which are either reusable, recyclable or biodegradable. We've partnered with the first B-certified supplies company in Europe, meaning all of our painting and wallpapering essentials are manufactured to the highest environmental standards.\n\nPaint brushes and paint rollers\n\nMade from sustainably grown bamboo, our brushes are made to last, and after rinsing can be reused. If you're ready to part ways, once separated the bamboo handle and metal holster can be included along with your regular household recycling. The bristles are made from natural materials, so can be included with your household waste and are entirely biodegradable; whilst the polyester rollers, once removed from their holster, can be included in your household recycling.\n\nPaint trays\n\nHold your horses and hang onto your trays! Made from sustainably sourced sugar pulp, Lick's paint trays are entirely reusable. You don't even need to rinse them. Just wait for the paint to dry and they can be used again and again. Once finished, rest assured that they are completely recyclable, biodegradable, and compostable. Include them in your household waste or recycling —the choice is yours.

Our boxes\nMade in England, by the country's leading environmentally-friendly packaging company, Lick's boxes are made from corrugated cardboard. Flattened, they can be recycled along with standard household recycling. In fact, they can be recycled up to seven times before being sent to the landfill. Unbleached and unprocessed, once there they will decompose within around three months.\n\nOur wallpaper\n \nWallpaper can be a sticky subject when it comes to recycling because of the adhesives used in the process of hanging. That's why we've teamed up with the reforesting initiative One Tree Planted, to plant one tree for every roll of wallpaper we sell. However, Lick's wallpaper can be recycled at most household recycling centres, depending on your local council, sometimes for a small fee. If you'd prefer to get creative, there are plenty of ways to reuse any leftovers. From professional looking gift wrapping, lampshade coverings, to DIY wall art: don't let your wallpaper go to waste.\nTo find out more about our charity partnerships with 4ocean and One Tree Planted, take a read of \nour sustainability blog posts\n or to learn more about our eco-credentials, take a read of our\n 2020 sustainability report\n.

When choosing paint for your next decor project, it’s fair to assume that the first thing you’ll think about it is the colour. Although admittedly, choosing your paint colour is probably the most fun part, you also need to choose the right \ntype\n of paint. That is, water-based or oil-based?  \n\nAt Lick, we’ve created a range of paints that is entirely water-based and \nlow VOC\n. But, what exactly does that mean? And why should you care? \nWhat is water-based paint and what is low VOC? \nAs the name suggests, water-based paint uses water as its primary solvent. Water-based paint is the more eco-friendly choice, as it produces fewer fumes and potentially harmful chemicals. Oh, and it’s odour-free, which makes for a much more pleasant painting process. \n\nOn to VOCs. VOCs or Volatile Organic Compounds (sounds unpleasant, right?)are present in everything from air fresheners to carpets and paint. Now, not all water-based paints are low in VOCs, but we’ve taken extra care to ensure that our VOC ‘count’ is as low as possible. Which means fewer irritants and fewer irritations for you. Making decorating less harmful for both you \nand\n the environment.  \n\nFind out more about \nwhy you should only be using low VOC paint\n.\nSo why have \nany\n VOCs at all? \nGood question - and it’s one we put to our head-chemist, David, who said: “Even water can contain VOCs in trace amounts, so it’s impossible to have zero VOCs, as some companies purport”. \n\nUltimately, we’ve kept the level of VOCs in Lick paint as low as possible, to ensure a high- quality and long-lasting finish that’s super easy for you to apply.\nOur manufacturing process for Lick paint\nEver wondered how your favourite \nLick paint\n shade came to be? Here’s a little sneak peek of our manufacturing process: \nWe work alongside a team of talented chemists with a combined experience of over 90 years in their field, who’ve been manufacturing eco-friendly paint \nlong\n before anyone wanted to buy it. \nTo ensure water is cleaned and recycled during manufacturing, we’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered up with the incredibly inspiring \n4ocean\n. For every 2.5 litre tin of paint sold, we remove 18g of plastic from the world’s oceans. To date, we have removed the equivalent of nearly 51,000 plastic bottles. \nBy producing small, made-to-order batches, we avoid wastage as much as we can. \nNone of our paint is tested on animals and all of our paints are 100% vegan.\nWant to learn more about our sustainability efforts? \nWe’re committed to doing our bit to be as eco-conscious as possible while making decorating easier for you. Check out our new \nSustainability hub\n to find out more about how we’re trying to make the world of DIY and decorating kinder to the environment.

Sustainability

Giving back as we grow

4,431kg plastic removed from the ocean

9,110 trees planted

14 million litres of water donated

Proud to be B Corp™ certified

Painting our way to a greener future

The writing's on the wall(paper)