(Credit: PPG)PPG (NYSE: PPG) announced it has achieved International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification for an environmental management system (EMS) at its Shannon, Ireland, operations. The company manufactures highly efficient, high-performing organic light-emitting diode (OLED) materials at the Universal Display Corporation (UDC).
Founded in 1883 as Pittsburgh Plate Glass by Captain John B. Ford and John Pitcairn in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Today, PPG is a global supplier of paints, coatings, optical products, and specialty materials. PPG helps customers in industrial, transportation, consumer products, construction markets, and aftermarkets to enhance surfaces.
ISO 14001 is an internationally agreed standard that provides companies with a framework to help identify, monitor and control their environmental performance through efficient resource consumption and waste minimization.
“We are committed to setting near-term company-wide emission reductions through the Science Based Target Initiative. Achieving ISO 14001 certification helps advance sustainable practices across all areas of our footprint, including water, waste, energy, and emissions,” said Juliane Hefel, PPG general manager, Specialty Coatings and Materials. “By developing a formal EMS that is ISO 14001 certified, UDC’s customers can be assured that we’re adhering to best practices that manage and minimize our impact on the environment. It is an important accomplishment and the direct result of the commitment and hard work by both PPG and UDC teams.”
UDC’s proprietary UniversalPHOLED® materials are up to four times more energy efficient than conventional fluorescent OLED displays and lighting products, enhancing their performance. The new OLED material offers power-saving advantages for portable electronics and less energy consumption in larger display lights.
UDP and PPG began their partnership in 2000 as flat-screen displays were replacing cathode-ray tube televisions, but OLEDs were still a long way from being commercially viable. Since then, the global OLED market has grown, and PPG and UDC have expanded production capacity from PPG’s Monroeville, Pa. and Barberton, Ohio, sites, to Shannon.
By 2021, UDC and PPG had announced the establishment of a new manufacturing site in Shannon for the production of UniversalPHOLED materials. UDC's new facility doubles the company’s production capacity and diversifies its manufacturing base, ensuring that UDC can meet growing OLED market demand while meeting evolving industry requirements.
“Environmental stewardship has been a long-standing commitment in our corporate mission,” said Janice Mahon, Universal Display SVP of Technology Commercialization & GM of Commercial Sales. “We applaud our partner PPG and UDC colleagues in Ireland for their diligence and dedication in attaining ISO 14001 certification, which validates the high standard of environmental management practices in our new Shannon facility.”
