PPG earns 2024 Altair Enlighten Award for sustainable electrocoat technology

PPG announced in mid-August that it has received a 2024 Altair Enlighten Award from IT firm Altair Engineering, which honours sustainability and lightweighting advancements in the automotive industry. 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’s automotive manufacturing plant in Canada.

PPG Enviro-Prime EPIC 200X electrocoat was implemented at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada North Plant in Cambridge, Ontario in 2023. The 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 CO2 emissions a year. 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 a 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.”

In May, PPG also earned an American Chemistry Council (ACC) 2024 Sustainability Leadership Award, which recognises exemplary products, technologies and initiatives that help advance sustainability. PPG received the award in the ProductSafety, Innovation and transparency category 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 automotive original equipment manufacturing process.