Overview

At DuluxGroup, sustainable practices are at the heart of the business. Since 2009, the company has operated the Dulux Paint Take-Back Service in New Zealand, providing customers with a practical way to return leftover paint and used paint packaging for environmentally responsible reuse, recycling and disposal. Available through Dulux Trade Centers and selected Guthrie Bowron stores nationwide, the program supports waste reduction, resource recovery, and circular use of materials across the paint lifecycle.

Supporting Circularity Beyond the Point of Sale

The Dulux Paint Take-Back Service was established to ensure that leftover paint and used packaging can continue to create value even after a project is completed. Customers can return eligible water-based and solvent-based paints, as well as used paint packaging, through dedicated collection points across New Zealand. Rather than becoming waste, returned materials are assessed for reuse, recycling, or responsible disposal. By extending responsibility beyond the sale of paint products, DuluxGroup is helping build a more circular paint industry while making participation easy and accessible for customers nationwide.

Giving Paint and Packaging a Second Life

The program supports multiple pathways for resource recovery. Returned water-based paints may be donated to community groups for practical uses such as graffiti abatement projects, helping local organizations improve public spaces while reducing waste. Accepted solvent-based paints are sent for solvent recovery or environmentally responsible disposal. Paint packaging is also recycled wherever possible. Since the Paint Take-Back Program began, approximately 1.9 million units of plastic and steel paint packaging have been recycled across New Zealand. In addition, DuluxGroup’s 10L and 15L plastic pails are now 100% recyclable through the company’s packaging partner, helping ensure that used containers can be recovered and reintroduced into the materials stream.

Encouraging Industry-Wide Participation

The program is not limited to DuluxGroup products alone. Eligible paints in original Dulux, British Paints, Berger, Cabot’s, Intergrain, Dryden and Feast Watson packaging can be returned free of charge. Paints from other manufacturers are also accepted through the program, subject to a collection and processing fee. By accepting paints across a broader range of brands, DuluxGroup is helping promote responsible paint recovery on a wider scale and supporting improved environmental outcomes beyond its own product portfolio.

Closing the Loop Through Packaging Recovery

Every returned pail contributes to a larger circular economy objective. As more recyclable paint containers are returned through the program, DuluxGroup can increase the recycled content used in future packaging. This helps reduce reliance on virgin materials while giving used containers another life through new applications. Through the Dulux Paint Take-Back Service, DuluxGroup continues to demonstrate how product stewardship, community engagement and packaging circularity can work together to support a more sustainable future.

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DuluxGroup: Sustainability

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Dulux Paint Take-Back Service