The ongoing global race to eliminate lead from paint and related coatings material is expected to define, to a large extent, Africa’s coatings scene in 2026, with South Africa taking the lead in the push towards enforcement of viable regulations for a lead-free environment through stronger industry partnerships.

South Africa’s government and the paint and coatings lobby, the South Africa Paint Manufacturers Association (SAPMA), has kicked off 2026 with optimism after they closed ranks mid-last year in the promulgation of new regulations on the reduction of lead in paint and providing a framework on compliance for all industry stakeholders, including manufacturers, importers, dealers, distributors, and contractors.

In the push by both government and private industry stakeholders to safeguard public health and environmental integrity, South Africa, on May 17, 2025, declared illegal the manufacture, import, or sell any paint containing more than 90 mg/kg (90 ppm) of lead in the dried film or non-volatile content. This is a limit that has been agreed upon by many countries despite the delay in ensuring harmonization of this threshold across nations.

Manufacturers and importers of paints and related coating materials have, since May 2025, been required to issue a lead content standard compliance declaration certificate before engaging in any commercial distribution or importation of these products. This certificate is for the first product batch of the product or in the event of any material change of the paint or coatings.

The certificate has to be applied for from the Department of Health in a prescribed form and must be produced to government inspectors and the department whenever required to do so with hefty penalties in case of non-compliance.

Analysis of Lead Amounts

Both the government inspectors and the department of health officials would from time to time be expected to conduct analysis of lead amounts in all paints and coatings circulating in the South African market as provided for under the new regulation with some of the analytical methods used based on international standards such as ISO 1513, ISO 1514, ASTM E 1645-16, ASTM E 1979-17, ISO 6503, ASTM E 3335-854 (2014), ASTM E 1613-12, ASTM E 2853-10 and US CPSC test method CPSC-CH-E 1003-07.1.

Meanwhile, by May 2026, one year after the new regulations were gazetted, all industry players must ensure each and every packaging of coating material either in liquid, paste or powder form, complies with a new labelling requirement, which SAPMA says “represent a transformative step towards eliminating lead from paints and coatings.”

The May 2026 time limit is for the packaging material to carry on their labels a mandatory specified wording, “Conforms with the South African legal lead limit of 90 ppm or less.”

The labels also must carry the product brand name, details of the manufacturer or importer such as name, address and telephone, production or manufacture date and batch number.

Furthermore, the labels “must include pictograms and precautionary labelling statements as per globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals.”

SAPMA has recently committed to “play a pivotal role in supporting the implementation of the lead paint regulation, working closely with lead elimination project and the department of Health” in upholding industry standards.

The lobby said it worked with other partners to ensure the focus in 2025 was on “the rollout of the regulations, ensuring members are well-informed, compliant and prepared for the upcoming implementation of deadlines.”

‘A New Era’ for the Industry

For Prominent Paints company, a member of SAPMA, the regulations push South Africa’s paint and coatings industry into “a new era.”

It said recently, stakeholders along the value chain, such as dealers and distributors, would have the responsibility to verify the compliance declaration certificates, as well as “plan to phase out old labels, and prepare to check packaging from May 2026.”

With the new regulations, industry players such as specifiers, project managers, and contractors would have to update project tender requirements to demand compliant labels and confirm packaging upon delivery as well as ensure compliant coatings are specified, supplied, and approved with the correct documentation according to the company.

“The 90 ppm lead limit is already law, and from May 2026, all containers must clearly state compliance (and) if your business has not yet adjusted processes or stock controls, the time to act is now,” a Prominent statement says.

“It’s not enough for the paint itself to comply—your packaging and documentation must also visibly demonstrate this,” it adds.

These new regulations announced by the Department of Health in early 2025 are expected not only to enhance partnerships among paint and coatings industry stakeholders within South Africa, but also to strengthen linkages with global institutions, especially with the growing number of countries striving towards full compliance to the international lead reduction targets.

Outside of South Africa

Elsewhere in Africa, Burundi, Niger, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) have made major strides towards a strong regulatory framework on lead reduction in the manufacture of paint and related coatings materials.

For instance, Burundi, a landlocked country in East Africa, announced in the first quarter of 2025 that it has made five paint standards, previously agreed upon by eight countries in the region, mandatory based on recommendations from the Burundi Bureau of Standards and Quality Control.

Meanwhile, Sierra Leone last year passed the country’s first legally binding regulation limiting total lead content in paint to 90 parts per million (ppm) for all paints manufactured, imported, sold, or used in Sierra Leone, while Zimbabwe and Democratic Republic of Congo are engaging with international organizations and UN agencies on the drafting of lead reduction regulations in anticipation of their soon approval, gazetting and implementation.

For SAPMA, which in partnership with DMG Events, will host the Coatings for Africa event in June 2026 in South Africa, the success in enforcing the new lead reduction regulations will not only make the paint and coatings industry safer, but will also lay a strong foundation for its growth in 2026.