Artists’ Colours (DE-UZ 199)

Artists’ colours are used not only in school and extracurricular art classes but also for decorative and creative hobby painting. In 2013, some 7000 tons of artists’ colours were sold on the German market.
These colours are complex mixtures of substances. They can contain ingredients with hazardous properties so that colours intended for use by children fall under the protection requirements of the European Toy Safety Directive.
The Blue Angel sets out requirements for the ingredients, quality, packaging and refillability of the colours. The substance requirements for the artists’ colours include - among others - the exclusion of azo dyes, fragrances and flavouring substances, VOC solvents and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).
Moreover, the relevant requirements will be reviewed every year. From the perspective of environmental protection, artists’ colours should be made available in refillable containers in the most demand-responsive way possible, thus helping to reduce waste.