SHANGHAI – PPG Industries recently held “Eco Classroom” open-day events at plants in Tianjin, Zhangjiagang, Wuhu and Kunshan, China. Under the theme of “Better Chemistry, Better Home,” these events engaged more than 200 attendees, including students from local schools and universities, government officials, and residents of neighboring communities.

“PPG is dedicated to communicating its sustainability efforts to neighboring communities and the public at large through a broad range of activities,” said John Richter, PPG Vice President of Operations, Coatings, Asia Pacific. “We can thereby facilitate sustainable development of the chemical industry and of society as a whole. Our open-day events have received positive feedback from the public in recent years, which led us to launch them at new plants each year. This year, PPG’s Kunshan plant joined three other sites with ‘Eco Classroom’ open-day activities that focused on environmental protection.”

PPG’s first site to hold an “Eco Classroom” open-day event in China was its Tianjin plant, where students from Tianjin University’s School of Chemical Engineering and Technology visited the plant’s laboratory. The students also joined PPG employees to discuss current issues in the fields of chemistry and coatings with local middle-school students, residents and the media.

The Zhangjiagang plant hosted more than 30 high-school students for the day. PPG representatives taught them about successful practices and cases in sustainable development and held a question-and-answer session on environmental protection.

In Wuhu, PPG representatives accompanied students from Nanjing Tech University and other local colleges on a visit to the site’s laboratory. Officials from the Wuhu Environmental Protection Bureau and Fred Wang, PPG Wuhu Plant Manager, shared their views on environmental-protection issues in the chemical industry with the students.

At its inaugural open-day event, PPG’s Kunshan plant hosted 60 visitors including local government officials, residents from neighboring communities, and students from local primary schools and the East China University of Science and Technology. PPG employees explained the company’s environment, health and safety practices and its efforts to develop sustainable products. Students majoring in material science at the university shared their chemistry knowledge and eco-protection tips with other participants and then accompanied PPG representatives for a visit to the plant’s laboratory. At a seminar following the tour, PPG employees answered students’ questions on employment and career development.

As a member of the Association of International Chemical Manufacturers (AICM), PPG organizes “Eco Classroom” open-day events regularly in response to AICM’s call for sustainable development to share its achievements in this area with the public.