This is obviously one of the most important aspects of what we do. Availability of ecological, non-toxic paints has been growing steadily over the past decade. We spent a lot of time looking for the best of the best.

Your home is where you spend the most time, and decorating it with toxic materials does not make sense. It is also something decorator’s skin and lungs are exposed to daily. Of course, no paints are completely harmless. There are those however, which give us all peace of mind. Those are the ones we will use to beautify your home.

Avoiding single-use plastic in any trade is nearly impossible. We have managed to eliminate the biggest culprits in our line of business — polythene dustsheets, single use carpet protectors, and caulk tubes which always make up the bulk of black bin waste. These are replaced by 100% compostable, vegetable-based materials and metal. Furthermore, we use tools with wooden and bamboo handles. We also use cellulose-based sponges, cotton fabric for floor sheets, non-toxic fillers, and the list goes on.

Our Pedal & Paint scheme is completely unique in the UK. Cargo bikes are the definition of sustainable city transport, and we look forward to the day we no longer need to drive.

When we do drive, we carefully monitor our mileage, and calculate how many kilograms of CO2 are emitted. We then pay a voluntary environmental tax after every completed project.

Naturally, all of our paints come in either steel or plastic containers. We thoroughly wash these before recycling them to be processed for further use. Because dark grey and black polypropylene doesn't recycle in our area, packaging colour also plays role in what we purchase. All other packaging materials also get recycled. We deliberately choose suppliers who avoid single use plastic as much as possible, and limit their overall packaging to a minimum.

Because we cover both York and Leeds, we still need to use a van. When we do, we track our mileage and calculate our emissions. We pay a voluntary environmental tax on these. A company called Ecologi invests the funds in a multitude of global projects designed to counteract negative human activity.

When sourcing materials we look at the distance they have to travel us too. The further they travel, the more emissions get created. Also, we much prefer to support local businesses. For example, all our dust sheets are from a mill in Bradford, our brushes are from Northampton, and our paint from Manchester and Lancashire.