Grade D+
ChemScore report card 2021

PPG Industries

PPG Industries is the largest coatings company in the world by revenue and supplies products for manufacturing, construction, automotive and chemical processing industries around the globe. The company makes protective and decorative coatings, flat glass, fabricated glass products, continuous-strand fibre glass products, as well as industrial and specialty chemicals. PPG Industries operates in more than 70 countries.
Category icon
Total score
11 / 48

Grade Summary

PPG Industries has a very large production of hazardous chemicals and data tells us that it is producing 32 highly hazardous chemicals this year, including three persistent chemicals, which is an increase compared to last year. This large…

Category icon
Product Portfolio
0 / 18

PPG produces/uses 32 highly hazardous substances –30 SIN List chemicals, 8 PICs, and 6 HHPs) – 15 of which are included on the EU’s REACH Candidate List. 4 of these highly hazardous substances are either banned or severely restricted, with set dates when production needs to cease (4 Authorisation List substances, and no POPs). The company produces 3 persistent chemicals. Persistent chemicals are particularly problematic, since they do not break down, but instead accumulate in humans and the environment. Because of this, persistent chemicals should be of extra concern for investors; substances that are not considered a problem today could become huge liabilities in the future.

Please note that there is no available data for the 33 % of the company’s production that takes place outside of the EU and US. Lower EU/US production means higher uncertainty with regard to the total production of hazardous chemicals, which will have a negative impact on the company’s score in this category.

Category icon
Development of Safer Chemicals
6 / 12

PPG Industries has a method in place to screen and assess the sustainability of its products and includes the intrinsic hazards of ingredients in the screening process. It does not, however, exclude substances with toxic properties from its new products. PPG Industries actively markets safer alternatives both on its own website as well as on ChemSec Marketplace. The company has not any true circular products, processes or innovations. PPG Industries does not use bio-based resources. Nor does it source or treat recycled materials in a sustainable way, which is one of the key elements of a circular economy. PPG Industries is actively reducing the hazardous waste it generates.

Category icon
Management & Transparency
2 / 12

The American company does not produce only sustainable products, and it does not have a timed phase-out strategy for hazardous substances that go beyond regulatory compliance. It does, however, share chemical safety information on its website and is following a credible code of conduct standard. PPG Industries did not respond to ChemSec’s attempts to communicate around its ChemScore ranking and it does not share any information about what kind of chemicals it produces in regions with low regulatory demands for transparency (e.g. Asia). PPG Industries does not have a circular economy program in place, and it is lacking objective and measurable circular economy targets.

Category icon
Overall rank
32 / 50
Category icon
Total score
11 / 48
Category icon
Product Portfolio
- / 18
Category icon
Development of Safer Chemicals
- / 12
Category icon
Management & Transparency
- / 12
Unlock icon
What is the chemical footprint of this company?
Get free access to ChemScore.
Login or register as a new user now.