PPG says it has committed to setting near-term company-wide emission reductions in line with climate science through the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi), an organisation that helps companies define their decarbonisation strategy and reduce the impacts of climate change.
PPG said it has an existing goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 15 per cent by 2025 from a 2017 baseline, achieving a 9.7 per cent reduction in 2021. The company said it has long reported emissions intensity from its operations (Scope 1 emissions) and purchased electricity, steam, heating and cooling (Scope 2 emissions), and plans to unveil its new 2030 goals over the coming months.
According to PPG, the company is prioritising evaluation of indirect emissions from functions it does not own or control, including raw materials, use of sold products, and product end-of-life (Scope 3 emissions).
“In this critical moment for climate change, we are committed to further evaluating and reducing emissions throughout our value chain,” said Diane Kappas, PPG Vice President, Global Sustainability. “We are working across our organisation to define additional actions we can take to help prevent the earth from warming more than 1.5°C. Following our validation work with SBTi and an emissions analysis, we intend to announce new, aggressive 2030 goals that will define our decarbonisation strategy to help protect the planet for current and future generations.”
PPG also released its 2021 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, detailing advancements in its sustainable innovations, board governance of ESG, efforts to reach its 2025 sustainability goals and further actions to support customers’ sustainability goals.
“Sustainability is at the heart of our purpose to protect and beautify the world,” Kappas said. “Our employees’ hard work and dedication helped us meet and surpass several of our near-term 2025 goals, and we continue to look for additional ways to reduce our emissions and overall environmental impact. While we are proud of our achievements, we recognise that now is the time for further action. We look forward to unveiling science-based targets as we complete the validation process.”
PPG said the report highlights its environmental actions and innovations globally. Key highlights include:
- Introduced PPG Ergoluxe powder coatings, which offer first-pass transfer efficiency rates of up to 85 per cent and the ability to reuse overspray. ErgoLuxeEco contains up to 13 per cent recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET). Since 2017, PPG has used more than 6 million pounds (2.7 million kilograms) of rPET to manufacture its coatings.
- Launched Comex Top paint, which contributes to the circular economy by incorporating recycled tyres, saving more than 270,000 tyres from landfills since the product was introduced in 2021. The product is intended for application on roofs and provides thermal insulation, resulting in emissions reduction through energy savings.
- Implemented the Zero Discharge Project at Architectural Coatings facilities in the US and Canada, enabling PPG to recycle and reuse more than 1.7 million US gallons (6.44 million litres) of water in its manufacturing process over the past two years.
- Installed a combined heat and power (CHP) unit at the Caivano, Italy, facility, creating an efficiency improvement equating to an annual reduction of approximately 1100 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
- Invested more than US$8.7 million ($12.3 million) between 2015 and 2021 in PPG’s global Colourful Communities initiative.
According to PPG, in 2021 the company reduced process waste, increased renewable energy use in its facilities, and increased sales from sustainably advantaged products. Highlights of this effort include:
- 38 per cent of sales from sustainably advantaged products against a goal of 40 per cent by 2025
- 24 per cent of electricity usage from renewable energy sources against a goal of 25 per cent by 2025
- 40 per cent of manufacturing, and research and development facilities with zero process waste to landfill, above a goal of 35 per cent by 2025
- 37 per cent reduction in waste disposal intensity from the 2017 baseline, above a goal of 25 per cent by 2025.
PPG said its 2021 reporting disclosures align with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Standards and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) chemical standard. The company also strengthened its reporting against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reported qualitative climate-related risks according to the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD).