The Brief

Most people believe that paints are harmful to the environment. Paints have long been associated with breathing irritation and headaches, no thanks to the toxic fumes they emit. We would change this perception of paint by using paint itself. Boysen KNOxOUT is a special smog-eating paint that’s been proven in several scientifically verified trials around the world. The best way to prove its power would be to use it on EDSA—the Philippines' most polluted highway. EDSA is five times more polluted than the world safety standard. There are barely any trees on EDSA because there just isn't enough space to plant them. This is when Boysen, the country's no. 1 paint manufacturer decided that if trees couldn't be planted, they would paint them on the EDSA's walls instead.

The technology behind Tree Lungs lies behind its innovative product. Boysen KnoxOUt is designed with CristalActiv technology which is an ultrafine titanium dioxide that promotes conversion of air pollutants to less harmful by products. The photocatalytic reaction that is induced by KNOxOUT favors exposure to light energy. On the contrary, ultra-violet light can pose negative effects on coating materials like the pigment that imparts color and opacity to the paint. This is why Boysen KNOxOUT is initially limited to white and pastel shades only. Recent developments in the product involve a reformulation tool such that UV-resistant inorganic colored pigments are incorporated in KNOxOUT in conjuction with the CristalActiv material. Inclusion of high performance inorganic pigments like bismuth vanadate, cobalt blue, cobalt green, oxide red, oxide black and oxide yellow have allowed flexibility of formulating KNOxOUT deep and dark shades without compromising the air-cleaning efficiency. Accelerated weathering and actual field tests indicate that the KNOxOUT dark colors have retained their spectral values after being exposed to potential UV degradation.

The artwork proved to be a big hit, winning fans and the battle against pollution, posting a 20% drop in EDSA’s pollution. These Tree Lungs are the 5th of a series of massive artworks along EDSA, which enjoyed equally massive coverage locally and internationally, from networks like National Geographic, Reuters, BBC and Al-Jazeera.