The Northern Beaches Sustainability Award recognises businesses that are actively pursuing sustainable practices, embedding them into their business planning, operations and marketing.

Northern Beaches Mayor, Sue Heins, presented David Stuart, MD of Colormaker Industries with the Sustainability Award.

David Stuart, Managing Director commented on the win; “Colormaker is delighted to have been recognised with the Northern Beaches Sustainability Award. What we have achieved has been the culmination of work by many people contributing countless hours over more than 20 years to make this happen. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to each and every of them for the support given to us on our journey.”

Colormaker is a paint manufacturer located in Brookvale on Sydney’s sunny Northern Beaches. Colormaker ecofriendly house paints, PERMASET® water-based inks, ACRYLMERIC® waterproofing membranes and floor coatings, LUXAPOOL® swimming pool paints and PERMACRYLIK® scenic artists paints are all made in their Brookvale factory, with increasing focus on solvent-free, low-VOC and water-based technologies. Everything is manufactured using 100% renewable energy, most coming from Colormaker’s 100 kW solar array. Colormaker also reduces their waste; recycling paper, board, and scrap metal where possible, uses LED lighting throughout their office and factory complex, uses rPET packaging sourced from post-consumer waste, has a small but growing fleet of EVs charged off the roof. These are used for local deliveries and staff commutes, helping reduce the business’ and staff members’ carbon footprint and staff cost of living pressures.

Colormaker has a fleet of EVs charged by their rooftop solar array for local deliveries and staff commutes

Colormaker supports the local community through sponsorships and social giving, plus a variety of groups throughout Australia, the South Pacific, NZ and other parts of the world. Recent examples include free paints to underprivileged communities including remote indigenous areas of NT, the flood ravaged Lismore art community and local schools. These are just some of the initiatives that led to Colormaker winning the prestigious award.

Sustainability Innovation: ReVolve 144 kW Solar Storage Battery

The business recently took delivery of a ReVolve 144 kW battery, brand new Australian technology and built around 2nd-life Nissan LEAF EV batteries. This industrial level of storage will allow Colormaker to soak up excess solar power that can be used on site during peak periods and feed it back into the grid when most needed. They see the new ReVolve battery as a game changer in terms of energy utilization, resilience, self-sufficiency, and alleviating strain on the grid. “We are excited about this innovative battery technology, around “proof of concept” of this level of energy storage and around savings that other businesses can follow, as well as contributing to the redeployment of second-life EV batteries” commented Stuart.

Targeting Net Zero by 2025

Colormaker is committed to the continual improvement of their environmental performance. The business employs several measures to reduce the impact of the paints and inks that it produces. These include significant investment in R&D aimed at making all their products ever more eco-friendly; an example was the removal of microplastic beads from their ceiling white. These particles are still widely used by all the major paint manufacturers. There has also been a big drive to improve the energy efficiency of their entire operation; some of that is through installation of 3 | P a g e more energy efficient production equipment. EVs are used for some local deliveries and for some staff commuting. Colormaker is currently on a waiting list for a larger EV with bigger payload capacity and longer range so that more and more deliveries can be made using clean power.

A carbon farm where carbon can be sequestered in soil using regenerative farming techniques is also on the horizon. Using regenerative farming practices, where carbon is stored in soil as well as trees, this would be used to offset emissions in the business that were unavoidable

Colormaker provides free paints and inks to remote communities. Pictured is a student in Katherine WA screen printing with PERMASET Inks

“Our planet is very fragile at the moment,” said Colormaker MD, David Stuart, “so we haven’t a moment to lose. Sustainability is something that we care deeply about. With our solar array, we’re delighted to say that there’s a little bit of Northern Beaches sunshine in every drop we make”