Innovation

They paint a greener future

Startup has collaborated with professional painters to develop a packaging solution that protects both the climate and the body.

DTU start-up Paint'R is giving the bucket the boot and selling paint in cardboard boxes instead. Photo: Paint'R

Friday 27 February 2026

Nasrin Billie

In 2020, Sofie Winge-Petersen and a group of students decided to find a solution to the large plastic waste from disposable packaging in the painting industry. From the beginning, they hoped that their idea would become a reality—and this has just happened to the young entrepreneur who now runs the DTU start-up Paint’R together with Johan C.S. Vangstrup and Victoria Strauss Søgaard.

Paint’R has developed a new type of packaging that, according to the start-up’s own calculations, saves up to 86 per cent plastic compared to traditional buckets and results in a CO₂ saving of approximately 69 per cent. More than 100 professional painters have tested the packaging, and 84 per cent prefer this solution to the classic paint bucket.

From study project to start-up

"It all started as a study project in the second semester, where had to develop something that contributed to the Sustainable Development Goals as part of the Green Entrepreneurship course," says Sofie Winge-Petersen, a BEng graduate from DTU.

The group spent half of the semester identifying a real problem. They chose the painting industry, among other things because a group member’s father was a master painter, which gave them access to examine the industry’s challenges up close.

"We went out and talked to him, other painters, and the industry, and quickly realized how many problems the traditional paint bucket presented—both in terms of climate and working environment," explains Sofie Winge-Petersen.

Although the painting industry accounts for only a small part of the construction industry’s total carbon footprint, it is a major consumer of single-use plastic because the buckets cannot be reused as they are contaminated with paint.

Every year, about one billion paint buckets are thrown out in the EU, equivalent to about 1.5 billion kilos of CO₂e, according to Paint’R’s calculations. CO₂e stands for CO₂ equivalents and is a conversion of greenhouse gases to the same ‘currency’ so that they can be compared.

Co-creation with painters

From the very beginning, Paint’R involved professional painters in the development. The group observed workflows and tested prototypes together with the users.

"The painters were generally unhappy with the traditional paint buckets. They appreciated sitting on them—but otherwise they were mostly complaining about them," says Sofie Winge-Petersen.

Many found that the buckets were heavy, difficult to handle and open, and not ergonomically designed. Traditional paint buckets consist of one large plastic bucket with a lid that, as mentioned, cannot be reused if it is contaminated with paint. Paint’R’s solution consists of a specially designed, patented plastic bag with paint in a cardboard box.

Painter Allan Taarup, who has more than 20 years of experience at A.T. Malerservice and has tested the packaging, highlights in particular less waste and easier handling:

"You can get more paint out of Paint’R’s solution than from the paint buckets and bags we normally use. And when you’re done, you have two small plastic bags and a cardboard box. It doesn’t take up any space."

He appreciates that the bag can be resealed with a clamp and that the packaging is now easier to transport thanks to feedback from the users.

Sofie Winge-Petersen, Victoria Strauss Søgaard and Johan C.S. Vangstrup, the founders of the DTU start-up Paint'R have developed a sustainable paint solution. Photo: Paint'R

Compromises and realizations

The path from prototype to market-ready product has required compromises.

"We have learnt that in practice it is often not possible to create the perfect, completely sustainable solution if you also want the industry to actually embrace the product and use it on a large scale," Sofie Winge-Petersen acknowledges.

Paint’R is registered as a plastic manufacturer in the Danish Central Business Register (CVR)—despite the company’s mission to reduce plastic consumption.

"It’s a paradox that we end up in that category when our goals are to reduce the use of plastic. But in order to change the industry’s practices and market our solution to the major players, we must work within the existing framework," she says.

Industry standard and scaling

The vision is to become the industry’s preferred standard for paints and similar products that can be rolled onto a surface, such as primers, glues, and other liquids for construction applications. Today, the fully developed packaging is produced in Karlslunde, while Paint’R has approximately 60 m² office and storage space in Niras Green Tech Hub. In this innovation house for green start-ups in Allerød, the company shares facilities with around 20 other start-ups within sustainable technology.

The packaging is expected to be in Danish stores in early 2026, after which it will be launched on the other European markets.

"The EU’s Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging helps us a lot, because it means that producers have to pay tax to have their packaging disposed of—and the easier the packaging is to recycle, the less they have to pay," says Sofie Winge-Petersen.

She hopes this will help push demand for more recyclable packaging in the EU.

"We have a strong collaboration with many of the major paint manufacturers at home and abroad who have helped develop the solution over the years, so we are quite confident," concludes Sofie
Winge-Petersen.

Facts

Five benefits of Paint’R packaging

The packaging reduces carbon emissions and plastic consumption.
The bag is easy to open with your hands and is more robust than the traditional paint bucket.
The paint can either be rolled on directly from the bag in the cardboard box or from a paint roller bucket.
The packaging has an ergonomic design that limits heavy lifting.
Multiple units on a pallet saves space.

Contact: www.paintr.dk