Each year, the prestigious Altair Enlighten Award, from IT firm Altair Engineering, honours sustainability and lightweighting advancements in the automotive industry and in 2024 that includes PPG.
After establishing electrocoat in mass production over 60 years ago, PPG continues to be the market leader and that has again been highlighted by ENVIRO-PRIME EPIC 200X coating being recognised for sustainability benefits. PPG and Toyota North America earned the runner-up award in the ‘Sustainable Process’ category for the use of PPG Enviro-Prime EPIC 200X electrocoat at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada North Plant. Implemented at the site in 2023, the advanced technology enhances corrosion protection for automotive bodies while significantly reducing environmental impact through lower material usage and energy requirements. At the Toyota facility, the product and application process enable a total reduction of 3,500 metric tons of CO 2 emissions per year. In addition, the amount of applied product is reduced by 0.6 kg per vehicle, while the application process saves 5.6 million kWh of energy and 1.8 million gallons of water per year.
“PPG’s focus on sustainability helps automakers and Tier suppliers reduce their environmental impact in the midst of ever-increasing corporate targets and regulatory requirements,” said Andrew Carroll, PPG Vice President, Americas, Automotive OEM Coatings. “We collaborate closely with customers such as Toyota to ensure our products meet their performance expectations while delivering real-world sustainability and productivity advantages. We thank Altair for recognising the environmental impact improvements delivered by PPG and Toyota.”
Recently, PPG also earned an American Chemistry Council 2024 Sustainability Leadership Award for its PPG Enviro-Prime EPIC 300 electrocoat which cures at lower temperatures than previous electrocoat technologies, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coatings application in the vehicle OEM process.