PPG Again Recognized For Contribution To Economic Development In China

PPG was ranked 28th for 2008, when the “Honor Roll of Multinational Corporation’s Contribution to China” was announced for the first time.
 
“As one of the first global coatings and specialty products companies to invest in China in the late 1980s, PPG is committed to investing and growing here. Even the global economic downturn last year did not stop our growth in this region,” said Cathy Yan, general manager, government affairs and business development, PPG Asia/Pacific. “We made two important investments in 2009 – one is in Tianjin for our Application Support Center (ASC) for the aerospace business, and the other is in Zhangjiagang for PPG’s first resin plant in China.”
 
With 14 manufacturing plants in China, PPG complies with high standards in environment, health and safety and product stewardship and is committed to developing and researching environmentally responsible, energy-saving products. For example, the Zhangjiagang resin plant will be a “model plant” in terms of its environmental features, and it will incorporate PPG’s “green” building materials such as low-volatile organic compound (low-VOC) coatings and low-emissivity glass.
 
“PPG designed and will build and operate this facility to meet strict environmental standards, conserving energy, water and raw materials and integrating state-of-the-art pollution control measures,” Yan said.
 
Also, PPG was one of the first companies to install oxygen-fuel furnace technology on float glass and fiber glass production lines in North America and Europe. Today, this technology, which PPG now licenses to glass manufacturers in China and around the world, reduces fuel consumption by 15 percent.
 
PPG has grown in China from having one plant in Tianjin employing 20 to 30 people in 1994 to having more than 3,800 employees throughout China today. The company encourages employees to be environmentally and socially responsible, both in the office and at home.
 
Yan said, “In China, PPG’s welfare activities cover all the communities where PPG plants operate. We organize three to four campaigns in each of three communities annually, with a total investment of more than RMB 2 million. We are proud to say that more than 60 percent of our employees take part in these campaigns each year, and we expect this number to increase year on year.”
 
For example, PPG is assisting with the restoration of infrastructure in areas affected by the earthquakes of May 2008. The company donated RMB 500,000 to help purchase emergency equipment for the Sichuan region shortly after the disaster occurred, and it has been donating RMB 1 Yuan to recovery efforts in the disaster area for each can of Master’s Mark paint, IVY paint and Seigneurie paint sold in China since that time. In 2009, the PPG Industries Foundation also donated US$5,000 to the Pittsburgh Chinese School, which in turn purchased replacement books for those destroyed during the earthquake for the Pittsburgh Chunlei School in Guangyuan, Sichuan. In addition, through the “PPG Care Library Project” launched last September, PPG is helping to rebuild 50 libraries and donating more than 150,000 books and environmentally responsible coatings to schools in Zitong county, one of the most earthquake-stricken regions in Sichuan, with a total donation valued at more than RMB 4 million.
 
“Recognition of the concerns and needs of society is a key corporate value for PPG,” Yan said. “We run our businesses in accordance with this value in China and globally, and we regard social responsibility as a key element of our success and sustainability.”
 
The criteria for being among the top companies in the “Honor Roll of Multinational Corporation’s Contributions to China” covered more than 10 categories – such as protecting the rights and interests for employment and employees, environmental protection, energy saving and emissions reductions – as well as 44 guidelines from Ten Contributory Indexes (TCI). Experts evaluated companies using a 100-point value system based on extensive research and appraisal of each organization.
 
About PPG
Pittsburgh-based PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, specialty materials, chemicals, glass and fiber glass. The company has more than 140 manufacturing facilities and equity affiliates and operates in more than 60 countries. Sales in 2008 were $15.8 billion. PPG shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: PPG). For more information, visit www.ppg.com.