PPG's contributions to communities and society align closely with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our sustainability approach underpins product innovation, customer collaboration, resource efficiency and community contribution – each of which supports progress against the SDGs in some way.
Our efforts also reflect the priorities captured in the Chemical Sector SDG Roadmap, which articulates how the sector can use its influence and innovation to support progress toward the SDGs. The roadmap is an initiative led by leading chemical companies and industry associations, convened by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).
The table below shows the connections between the SDGs and our public environmental and social commitments, goals, policies and standards.
| SDG | PPG interaction with the SDGs | Relevant PPG commitments, goals, policies and standards |
 | Responsible employer: provide living wages and benefits to employees Investments and partnerships: strengthening and revitalizing communities and improving infrastructure Innovative products: support affordable and accessible shelter and other basic goods | Our people strategy, community programs and partnerships, and innovative sustainably advantaged products each contribute to alleviating global poverty. Read about our work in the People Overview, Community Engagement, and Sustainably Advantaged Products sections of this report. |
 | Improve food distribution: extend lifetimes of food and food packaging, maintain food quality and safety | PPG products are key enablers of safe, long term food packaging and storage. Read more in the Sustainably Advantaged Products section of this report. |
 | Product stewardship: increased availability of products with health and safety benefits Management of chemicals: safe production and distribution | We take responsibility for minimizing adverse human health and environmental impacts of our products at every stage of the product life cycle. We also have strict safety standards to minimize the environmental impact of our operations. Goal: On our path to eliminating spills, ensure that we achieve at least a 65% improvement in our spills and releases rate by 2025 from a 2017 baseline Learn more in the Product Stewardship and Waste sections of this report. |
 | Promote science education: fostering a love of STEM and supporting technical apprenticeships and skill building | PPG supports STEM education through our financial donations to educational programs and through our employee volunteer efforts in communities where we live, work and play. Goal: Implement the community engagement framework globally by 2025 Read more in the Community Engagement section of this report. |
 | Supporting women's success: implementing programs and management approaches that advance gender equity | Through our comprehensive DE&I strategy, we are working to improve equity and inclusion within PPG and in our communities. Goal: 34-36% representation of non-frontline, global female professionals by 2025 Learn more in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion section of this report. |
 | Water management: reducing water use and ensuring responsible disposal | PPG ensures that water used at our facilities is treated and discharged responsibly. We are working to reduce the absolute amount of water that we use across our operations, and the water intensity that is required to produce our products. Goal: 20% reduction in water intensity by 2025 from a 2017 baseline Read more about our water management in the Water section of this report. |
  | Supporting production of renewable energy: creating products that support wind and solar industries Addressing issue of climate change: Energy efficiency measures and renewable energy sourcing to reduce our impact Building adaptive capacity: working with our supply chain to promote sustainable practices | PPG is supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy by creating new products, improving our energy sourcing and efficiency, and partnering with our suppliers to build adaptive capacity. Goal: Reduce energy consumption intensity by 15% by 2025 from a 2017 baseline Goal: Increase renewable energy to 25% of total electricity usage exclusive of greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions by 2025 Goal: Reduce GHG emissions intensity by 15% measured in total tons discharged by 2025 from a 2017 baseline Read more in the Energy, Emissions, Climate-Related Risks and Opportunities, and Supplier Sustainability sections of this report. |
 | Protecting quality of life: safe production and management of chemicals for our employees and communities Upholding human rights: meeting labor standards and respecting human rights throughout our value chain | PPG works with EcoVadis, a leading business sustainability ratings company, to monitor compliance with labor and environmental standards in our value chain. Goal: Zero injuries. On our path to zero injuries, ensure that we achieve an improvement of at least 5% per year in our injury and illness (I&I) rate All PPG suppliers are expected to comply with our Global Supplier Code of Conduct. Read more in the People Overview and Human Rights sections of this report. |
 | Promote resiliency: identifying new uses and products that reduce resource use and negative environmental impacts | We are constantly working to identify new uses for our existing products, and create innovative new products for our customers. Goal: 40% of sales from sustainably advantaged products by 2025 Learn more in the Sustainably Advantaged Products and Climate-Related Risks and Opportunities sections of this report. |
 | Advocate for equality: global policies that support fair wages, safety and ethical standards | PPG is focused on becoming a more diverse and equitable company, and supports DE&I efforts in our communities. Goal: Invest $20 million by 2025 to advance racial equity in the U.S. by funding educational pathways for Black communities and people of color Goal: 34-36% representation of non-frontline, global female professionals by 2025 Goal: 45-55% increase in headcount of Black, Latino and Asian employees across non-frontline, U.S.-based employee population by 2025 Goal: 50% global employee resource network and DE&I capability-building participation by 2025 Read more in the DE&I and Community Engagement sections of this report. |
 | Supporting communities: paints and coatings protect and beautify means of transportation, buildings and other infrastructure | Our community engagement efforts protect and beautify community spaces and infrastructure around the world. Goal: Invest at least $10 million by 2025 through the PPG COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® initiative Read more in our Products Overview and Community Engagement sections of this report. |
 | Improve efficiency of production processes: Increase our efficiency, and enable resource efficiencies for our customers in other industries | Efficiency of our operations is paramount for PPG, and we are always looking for resource efficiency opportunities. Goal: 25% reduction in total waste disposal intensity by 2025 from a 2017 baseline Goal: Achieve zero landfill status from process waste at 35% of PPG manufacturing and research and development locations Goal: 35% of PPG manufacturing and research and development locations by 2025 Read more in the Waste and Sustainably Advantaged Products sections of this report. |
 | Product stewardship: Improving product formulations and design to avoid negative environmental impacts | PPG's Environment, Health and Safety Policy outlines our commitment to producing and distributing products in a responsible manner. Read more in the Product Stewardship section of this report. |
 | Maintaining standards of ethical business conduct: requiring compliance with PPG's high ethical standards | Our Global Code of Ethics sets out the ethical principles that apply to all PPG people. Learn more about our standards, for PPG operations and throughout our value chain, in the Governance Overview and Supplier Sustainability sections of this report. |
 | Collaboration: Working with NGOs and other stakeholders to advance our management of topics relevant to each goal | We work with all of our stakeholders, both to understand how we can better contribute to reaching the SDGs and to support our stakeholders in their own efforts. Learn more in the Stakeholder Engagement section of this report. |