PPG Achieves ISO 14001 Certification of Environmental Management System

PPG 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) (Nasdaq: OLED) site.

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.”

“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.”

Enhancing the performance of consumer displays and lighting products, UDC’s proprietary UniversalPHOLED® materials provide energy efficiencies that are up to four times higher than conventional fluorescent OLED materials, providing power-saving advantages for longer battery operation in portable electronics and less energy consumption in larger display and lighting products.

PPG and UDC began their partnership in 2000, just as flat-screen displays were replacing cathode-ray tube televisions and OLEDs were in the early research and development stage. 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.

The two companies announced in 2021 that UDC Ireland Limited and PPG were jointly establishing a new manufacturing site in Shannon for the production of UDC’s highly efficient, high-performing UniversalPHOLED materials. The new facility doubles the production capacity and diversifies the manufacturing base for UDC’s phosphorescent emitters to meet growing OLED market demand and evolving industry requirements.