PPG received a 2024 Altair Enlighten Award for its ENVIRO-PRIME® EPIC 200X electrocoat technology, which provided sustainability benefits at a Toyota North America plant in Canada. (Photo: Business Wire)
The electrocoat, implemented at a Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in Canada, earned PPG a Sustainable Process award from Altair Engineering.
PITTSBURGH—Coating technology developer PPG reported that it received a 2024 Altair Enlighten Award from IT firm Altair Engineering that recognizes sustainability and lightweighting advancements in the automotive industry. The company shared the runner-up award with Toyota North America in the Sustainable Process category for the use of PPG ENVIRO-PRIME ® EPIC 200X electrocoat at Toyota’s automotive manufacturing plant in Canada, according to a release from PPG.
Toyota implemented PPG Enviro-Prime EPIC 200X electrocoat 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, PPG said in the release.
At the Toyota facility, the product and application process reportedly enables a total reduction of 3,500 metric tons of CO2 emissions per 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 per year, according to the release.
“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, in a statement. “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 recognizing the environmental impact improvements delivered by PPG and Toyota.”
In May, PPG also earned an American Chemistry Council (ACC) 2024 Sustainability Leadership Award, which recognizes exemplary products, technologies, and initiatives that help advance sustainability. The company received the award in the Product Safety, Innovation, and Transparency category for its PPG Enviro-Prime EPIC 300 electrocoat. The electrocoat cures at lower temperatures than previous electrocoat technologies, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coatings application in the automotive original equipment manufacturing process, the company said.