Helping artists make sustainable choices

Being sustainable means making the best decisions in the interests of people and our environment so that everybody can thrive, now and in the future.

As a company that produces high-quality paints, materials and tools, being sustainable isn’t easy. But we have a responsibility to act. In fact, our customers expect us to. So, we’re not only committed to finding ways to become more sustainable in our own operations, but also to helping artists to make the right choices too. This means applying our expertise to resolve the challenges around climate change and packaging waste and developing products that are safe to use in the studio, workspace or at home – without compromising on performance. And it means supporting artists in the community and making art accessible to everyone.

We are a Certified B Corporation™ (B Corp), joining a global movement of businesses committed to social and environmental responsibility. B Corp Certification is a rigorous assessment of a company’s impact, ensuring high standards of transparency, accountability, and sustainability. Winsor & Newton earned this certification through its commitment to reducing environmental impact—focusing on renewable energy and waste, reusing water, reducing unnecessary packaging, and creating cleaner products — while supporting the art community. This achievement reflects our ongoing mission to help artists make sustainable choices while contributing to a more inclusive and regenerative future.

What are we doing?

Creating Cleaner Products

We refine colour formulations, removing unnecessary ingredients to ensure safety for artists and the environment. Tackling cadmium, a valued yet hard-to-replicate heavy metal, we now offer Professional Watercolours in cadmium-free alternatives with the same performance. Our Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colours provide an environmentally considerate option, requiring only water for cleanup. Likewise, Artisan Varnish Remover safely removes varnish for cleaning and re-varnishing.

Reduce Unnecessary Packaging

We prioritise sustainable packaging, increasing recycled content wherever possible. Our transition to 100% recycled plastic for oil colour and watercolour mediums, varnish, and solvent bottles—covering 352 products—eliminates the use of virgin plastic. This change prevents an estimated 248 tonnes of plastic from reaching landfill annually, reinforcing our commitment to reducing environmental impact and promoting more responsible material use.

Renewable energy and waste

Energy fuels the production of our high-quality products, but its use generates greenhouse gases that drive climate change. To reduce our impact, we are cutting energy consumption across manufacturing sites and offices while increasing reliance on renewable sources. Solar panels support our European and UK sites, and we are committed to Science Based Targets. We are striving for zero waste across all manufacturing sites to further minimise environmental impact.

Community Matters

We recognise art’s impact on wellbeing and are dedicated to supporting artists. In early 2023, we began donating acrylic paint and brushes to Hospital Rooms’ online digital art schools. These supplies reach 50 inpatient mental health units each term, enabling approximately 1,800 patient sessions across the UK. Through this initiative, we help provide creative opportunities that foster expression, healing, and a sense of community for those in care.

Winsor & Newton is a B Corporation

As a result of our commitment to people and the planet, Winsor & Newton has been certified as a B Corporation since 2023. Through our efforts to help artists make sustainable choices, we are counted among businesses that are leading a global movement for an inclusive, responsible and regenerative planet. Learn more about B Corp and our mission to build a better world for artists and the environment here.

Watercolour sets: 100% recycled plastic

We’re transitioning the packaging of our watercolour sets to 100% recycled plastic. All new boxes are white, including the Field set which was previously blue, but the contents remain unchanged.

100% recycled plastic packaging

Our classic mediums bottles are moving off the shelves to make room for new bottles that are made from recycled plastic. They’ll have a slightly cloudy appearance plus a new white cap, but the medium inside the bottle is still the same great formulation as before. The improved bottles are part of our commitment to helping artists make sustainable choices. We‘re taking steps where possible to resolve the challenges around climate change and packaging waste.

Alternative materials – with no compromise

It’s been a couple of years since we launched our Cadmium-Free Professional Watercolour and Artist Oil Colour, which artists confirmed perform on par with counterparts in blind testing. Similarly, our synthetic watercolour and oil brushes perform just as well as our watercolour and sable hog brushes.

Hospital Rooms

We're thrilled to be continuing our work with mental health charity Hospital Rooms. Our partnership aims to enhance mental health environments with installations created by global artists, providing dignity and comfort to patients across the UK. In sponsoring artist Orlanda Broom, we supported her journey at the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.

Introducing recycled Promarker wallet

We’re committed to creating materials that will enable future generations of artists to thrive. We’ve partnered with Waste2Wear, pioneers in innovative plastic recycling, to create a new fully sustainable wallet for our Promarker collection. Using recycled materials, the wallet comes with recyclable belly bands, with no plastic film in sight.