The term green finishes is commonly used to designate different categories of building materials. It might be paint or plaster or any type of wall covering such as bamboo,
cork etc.

In the paints and plasters domain, most modern finishes are derived from the petrol industry.  Natural finishes are made with ingredients more likely found in nature or reasonably processed.

In the modern paint category, there is a “green specifications” subcategory of latex paints which are usually acrylic and which claim zero or low VOC (volatile organic compounds)

The natural paints and plasters category could be split into mineral and organic subcategories, though  most paints and sometimes plasters are a mixture of mineral and organic materials..

Indeed the term green finish might be a little confusing.  “Green” does not necessarily means “natural” and the other way around. When looking for a green finish, it is important to define first what category of green finish will fill the requirements, whether they are technical, esthetic or health related.

A low VOC paint might suffice to keep head-aches at bay. A green seal approval might add a few LEED points to the construction of the building.  Or, if the goal is to get away from the oil industry altogether and if the nature of the building allows, traditional and natural finishes are the good way to go.