June 10, 2005

Dear Member:

The National Paint & Coatings Association (NPCA) would like to make you aware of a potentially valuable new service offered by the National Council on Paint Disposition (NCPD), a not-for-profit environmental corporation, which can help you locate outlets for retailer mistints and discontinued paint. Attached is information concerning NCPD’s nationwide database of thousands of nonprofit community based organizations interested in receiving donated or low cost paint. By subscribing to this database, retailers can have ongoing access to an environmentally-friendly, low-cost, solution to disposal of their unwanted paint. Proceeds from the subscriptions will be used to develop and advance more solutions to the challenge of left-over paint.

NPCA and the paint and coatings manufacturing industry have historically been progressive and proactive at putting forth industry programs that improve safety, health and environmental practices in the manufacturing setting and among commercial and consumer users of paint and coatings products. One particularly noteworthy national voluntary initiative by the paint industry focuses on the source reduction and sustainable management of post-consumer paint waste. Known as the “Protocol for Post-Consumer Paint Management,” NPCA developed guidance manuals and descriptive brochures seeking to promote a hierarchy of reuse and recycling prior to disposal. In addition, as you may be aware, the NPCA is involved in the Product Stewardship Institute's National Dialogue on post-consumer paint management and continues to support numerous groups, such as NCPD, who are focused on addressing the left-over paint management. The result of the dialogue over the last year and a half is a Memorandum of Understanding detailing the Dialogue process as well as a path forward implementing a host of pilot projects aimed at post-consumer paint cost/volume reduction over the next several years. Programs aimed at reuse and waste minimization, are a major component in reducing the volume and cost of leftover paint disposal, and one that the Dialogue projects, including those sponsored by NPCA, are focused on.

Thus, in furtherance of these collective efforts, NPCA supports NCPD’s retailer program and is using this opportunity to provide basic information and introduce this program to our members. Please do not hesitate to contact NPCA or Marv Goodman, President, NCPD if you would like more information on our left-over paint reduction efforts or would like to participate.

Sincerely,