PITTSBURGH – The Ohio Chemistry Technology Council (OCTC) has recognized PPG’s Huron, Barberton, Euclid, Cleveland and Strongsville facilities in the state for programs that are advancing sustainability, health and safety.
“At PPG, sustainability is at the core of our business operations,” said Mike Corcoran, PPG Global Manager, Operational Sustainability. “We are constantly seeking ways to reduce our waste, water consumption and energy use and improve our processes to minimize our impact to the environment and to help ensure each employee goes home safe every day. We’re proud of our facilities that have identified inventive solutions that will contribute to our sustainability goals.”
The five Ohio sites earned a combined seven awards from the OCTC in the environmental and health and safety performance categories.
The Euclid site received an OCTC Environmental Award for its recent wastewater improvements. After identifying the primary producer of wastewater within its operations, the site made a process adjustment that resulted in a 29% reduction in wastewater, waste cost savings of more than $80,000 annually, and a $3,900 reduction in annual freshwater costs.
A new paint recycling process at the Cleveland facility used a continuous improvement methodology that allows the site to collect leftover paint at the end of production and repurpose it as a raw material for the next batch. Since the improvement was implemented, the site has prevented more than 190,000 gallons (719,230 liters) of paint from becoming waste. The facility also identified improvements that helped increase the safety of loading and unloading materials and other routine production tasks. The improvements earned OCTC Environmental and Health and Safety Performance Awards.
Earning an OCTC Environmental Performance Award, the Strongsville facility contributed to the circular economy by diverting more than 37,000 pounds (16,780 kilograms) of plastic waste from a landfill by refurbishing or recycling plastic containers.
Efforts at the PPG Huron and Barberton facilities earned two OCTC Health and Safety Performance Awards. The Huron site proactively replaced its spill kits to be more sustainable and weather resistant and have the ability to last longer when exposed to weather conditions. The Barberton facility implemented a material lifting device after identifying an ergonomic stressor in a production task.
To learn more about PPG’s sustainability progress and goals, visit sustainability.ppg.com. To learn more about the OCTC, visit www.ohiochemistry.org.
