Crown Paints’ Earthbalance® is celebrating 10 years since it was first launched.

A pioneering sustainability programme, which sets a blueprint for a greener way to do business, has reached a landmark anniversary.

The Earthbalance® programme was created by Crown Paints to rival those in place in some of the world’s top green companies.

At the heart of the project is a target to reduce Crown Paints’ Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) and reduce waste to landfill.

Since then Earthbalance® has transformed the way Crown Paints does business – setting the pace for a range of initiatives.

These include Kick Out The Can, an annual scheme which gives householders the chance to return their surplus paint for recycling at their local Crown Decorating Centre.

The returned paint is reprocessed and donated for community projects across the UK, with the leftover plastic and metal paint containers sent for recycling.

Crown Paints was also one of the first companies to measure the carbon footprint of its entire product portfolio and secured six Environmental Product Declarations.

And across Crown Paints’ Hull and Darwen manufacturing sites, a partnership has been set-up with Nimtech – a social enterprise providing employment opportunities for the hard to reach and long-term unemployed – to handle waste recovery and recycling services.

Along the way Earthbalance® has secured a clutch of accolades, including the National Business Awards Sustainability title, The European Business Awards, the Green Apple Awards and the EFF Future Manufacturing Award.

Mark Lloyd, Crown Paints’ Sustainability Manager, said: “Earthbalance has had, and continues to have, a huge impact on our business.

“Focused on driving financial and operating efficiencies that balance profit, performance and the planet, the programme was devised to create triple bottom line achievements, environmentally, socially and economically.

“We now report on the steps taken through annual sustainability reports, which give us a clear picture of what we have achieved and what we need to do for the future.

“We look forward to celebrating its success for years to come and seeing the results of a long-standing commitment to the environment continue to benefit the business overall.”