Benjamin Moore Nets Prestigious Award for New Natura™ Zero-VOC Interior Paint

Natura, the zero-VOC premium interior paint that recently has been added to the stable of environmentally responsible paints and coatings produced by Benjamin Moore, has earned its first national honor.
BuildingGreen, Inc., publisher of the GreenSpec Directory and Environmental Building News, named Natura one of the year’s Top 10 Green Building Products, presenting the award at the U.S. Greenbuilding Council’s Greenbuild Conference in Boston last week. The annual citation, now it its seventh year, recognizes the most exciting products drawn from the Directory, which lists more than 2,000 that have passed a set of environmental criteria set by the editors. Both publications are well respected by industry professionals for providing authoritative information on sustainable design and construction. Manufacturers do not pay for listings, and neither publication carries any advertising, adding to their credibility as objective and unbiased sources of information for the industry.

“To have received this award for Natura, barely months since we’ve introduced it, is an extraordinary honor that we at Benjamin Moore deeply appreciate,” said Denis Abrams, president and CEO. “Throughout the company’s 125-year history, we have strived to offer the consumer the finest paint possible but with a keen awareness to the health and safety of the environment in which we all live. It’s a commitment that is ongoing and our development of new technologies and formulations is unending.”

 Natura is just now making its debut on the West Coast and in select regions such as the Rocky Mountain States and parts of the Deep South, and is expected to have full national distribution by March 2009. Unlike any other zero-VOC paints, Natura is available in thousands of hues and a wide range of sheens. The VOC level of Natura is unaffected by the addition of colorant because the paint is based on Benjamin Moore’s patented waterborne colorant system. In fact, Natura is available in all of Benjamin Moore’s nearly 3,500 colors, and it can be limitlessly color-matched to one’s personalized color choice and still be zero-VOC.

While Natura’s green characteristics are indisputable, its performance is equally superior, reflective of Benjamin Moore’s unrelenting dedication to produce the highest quality paints and coatings possible. Natura promises easy application, excellent hide and outstanding durability. It dries fast and is virtually odorless. And, it is highly washable, as well, within days after it’s been applied.

The Natura range includes a primer plus three sheens—flat, eggshell and semi-gloss—and, of course, the infinite selection of colors. Offered in quarts and gallons, Natura is $49.99 a gallon, MSRP.

 For more information on Natura and its availability, visit www.benjaminmoore.com. The site includes a retailer locator to help find where the paint is sold nearest you.

About Benjamin Moore…
Benjamin Moore & Co., a Berkshire Hathaway company, was founded in 1883 and this past year celebrated its 125th Anniversary. One of the country’s leading manufacturers of premium quality residential, commercial and industrial maintenance coatings, its products are distributed through a network of independent paint and decorating retailers located throughout North America.

 As the North American Paint Provider for Ronald McDonald House Charities, Benjamin Moore donates the interior and exterior paint for the Ronald McDonald houses throughout the U.S. and Canada. Natura will be the specified interior product for all these houses, which serve as the homes-away-from home for critically ill children and their families.