PPG named to Dow Jones Sustainability Index for second consecutive year

The 2001 edition of DJSI World includes 312 companies from 62 industries in 26 countries with a combined market capitalization of more than US$5.5 trillion.Launched in 1999, DJSI World is the only index that rates sustainability on a global basis, measuring the top 10 percent of the largest 2,500 companies in the Dow Jones Global Index against more than 30 criteria.

"This recognition is a tribute to PPG's financial performance, our commitment to excellence in protecting the environment and our global position as a responsible corporate citizen," said Raymond W. LeBoeuf, PPG chairman and chief executive officer. "That performance provides a competitive advantage in today's global marketplace."

According to David C. Cannon Jr., PPG vice president of environment, health and safety (EHS), the company's position on DJSI World "reflects our progress toward fully integrating environmental, health and safety issues and considerations into our business strategies and decision-making. Our EHS efforts are an integral part of PPG's overall business efforts and performance."

Investors and lenders evaluate businesses and make determinations that consider environmental market opportunities as well as risks, Cannon said. "As a result, more businesses are seeing the benefits of moving beyond regulatory compliance into sustainability -- which has long been part of PPG's business strategy to create long-term value for our shareholders," he said.

Examples of PPG's sustainable performance include:


-Economic: PPG has paid dividends without interruption since 1899. In addition, PPG this year increased shareholder payments for the 31st consecutive year.
-Environment: PPG's breakthrough discovery in the use of yttrium as a replacement for lead in anti-corrosion coatings for automobiles earned the company a Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year. Automakers' use of the product will eliminate about 1 million pounds of lead from primer coatings on an annual basis.
-Social: PPG this year became the first corporate sponsor to hire an American Chemical Society scholar. La'Techa Johnson, 22, of Baton Rouge, La., is one of about 40 students PPG has sponsored through the scholarship program, which provides mentoring, financial support and summer research opportunities to minority undergraduates majoring in the chemical sciences.