Sustainably Advantaged Products

The automotive industry is undergoing a shift to electrification and the utilization of varying substrates to meet new requirements. PPG is helping our customers adapt to these changes with our range of innovative, cost-saving electrocoat solutions.

For industrial and automotive tier customers seeking to adapt to new structural assemblies without slowing down the paint line, the PPG POWERCRON 10X^® coating is engineered to deliver performance across an expanded bake window – enhancing sustainability and productivity in parts production. The product's curing capability can enable higher throughput by reducing time in the oven or a reduced oven temperature setpoint, either of which help reduce CO₂ emissions. The PPG Powercron 10x coating also boasts an improved film appearance by reducing surface defects on parts which can lead to reduced material usage.

Another example of PPG helping OEM customers reduce their total material and energy use is PPG's award winning Enviro-prime EPIC200X solution, that enhances corrosion protection for automotive bodies while significantly reducing energy and material requirements. At Toyota's Cambridge, Ontario, plant, the EPIC200X product and application process enables a total reduction of 3,500 metric tons of CO2 emissions per year. Coating each vehicle requires 0.6 kg less product, while the improved application process saves 5.6 million kWh of energy and 1.8 million gallons of water per year.

"The overall reduction in the amount of coating compared to the last technology also means that we're being more efficient in how we’re making it, we’re using less energy overall to make the vehicle," said Bryan Arnold, Toyota research and development materials engineering, on introducing PPG EPIC 200X. "Reducing the mass means that the vehicle needs less energy to move itself, and that's important for sustainability and water reduction. These are all very much tied up with the Toyota 2050 global sustainability targets."

Customer sustainability benefits compared to prior electrocoat developments:

• Reduces energy consumption in the application process, leading to cost savings and reduced CO2 emissions
• Requires less material, leading to operational cost savings
• Uses less water in the application process due to material selection and resin optimization

PPG's precision application technology is a overspray free coating system designed to streamline the painting of two-tone roof vehicles. The process, which is already being used by a premium automotive OEM, applies a specially designed decorative coating in a simplified two-step process that does not require masking. While the conventional process for achieving a two-tone finish requires manual masking and demasking, PPG's innovative application enables both layers to be applied overspray-free, producing crisp paint edges without the need for manual masking.

In addition to reducing time on the paint line, the precision application process helps our customers reach their sustainability goals by avoiding waste generation from paint and masking products, as well as reducing CO2 emissions by decreasing the need for energy intensive air filters that handle overspray. PPG's in-house process model shows that the combined benefits of using our precision application system result in up to a 17% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to the legacy system.

Customer sustainability benefits:

• Reduces energy consumption by as much as 14% compared to the conventional process
• Reduces paint shop time by approximately 50 minutes per two-tone vehicle
• Eliminates the need for extra cleaning and detackification to remove overspray
• Fully removes the need for disposable masking materials such as tape and plastic films
• Requires 20% less coating material compared to the conventional process

The PPG DURANEXT^™ portfolio of electron-beam and ultraviolet curable backers, primers, basecoats and clearcoats brings energy efficiency and high speed energy curing to metal coil coaters. Unlike traditional coil coating systems that require very high temperatures and large ovens to drive the curing process, PPG Duranext coatings use an electron beam or ultra-violet energy to convert a liquid coating into a fully cured solid finish in seconds at ambient temperature. First commercialized in 2022 as an e-beam cured clearcoat, we see the continued transformation of this industry mediated by the capital investment and installation cycle. These coatings are ideal for use on commercial buildings, garage doors, barns and sheds because they are highly flexible, durable and require minimal maintenance. Customers can customize the coatings to meet their exact requirements for weatherability, durability, chemical resistance and flexibility.

Customer sustainability benefits:

• Reduces energy usage and CO2 emissions by curing without the application of heat
• Avoids water consumption that would be required in traditional coating processes
• Streamlines operations by curing in seconds without the use of heat
• Formulations are made without the use of solvents that release volatile organic compounds (VOCs)

PPG's Tomorrow Included sustainability marketing concept is helping to highlight the sustainability advantages of several Architectural Coatings products. Tomorrow Included is putting durability, energy savings, carbon reduction and recyclability in focus on product packaging, as well as in our advertising, product websites and social media. The concept, which launched in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), marks a significant step in our effort to communicate PPG's sustainability story to our customers. Communications are being introduced in phases across prominent brands, including TIKKURILA^™, BECKERS^™, SIGMA^™, JOHNSTONE'S^™ and ALCRO^™.

By spotlighting sustainability benefits, PPG is helping guide our customers toward product solutions that align with their sustainability ambitions. This approach supports customers in making more informed purchasing decisions while underscoring PPG's commitment to sustainable innovation.

"At PPG, sustainability is built into how we innovate, operate and go to market," said Svea Paju, PPG marketing director brands, AC EMEA North and East. "Our commitment to sustainability empowers us to guide our customers towards the right product solutions that align with their sustainability ambitions."

Read more about Tomorrow Included on PPG.com

The Comex brand by PPG is making sustainably advantaged choices more accessible to customers, offering a new range of products with sustainability benefits at no price premium over existing products. In 2024, Comex launched the Producto Eco product line in Mexico, which features products that offer benefits such as reduced volatile organic compounds (VOCs), increased use of recycled materials such as tire rubber and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics, and enhanced energy efficiency via coatings with reflective thermal insulation properties.

Customer sustainability benefits:

• Reduced use of natural resources and reduced waste through use of recycled materials such as tire rubber, PET and polyethylene bags
• Energy savings in homes and buildings via coatings with reflective thermal insulation properties
• Reduced VOC content improves product safety during application