Community Sustainability, Global Giving

PPG's commitment to do better today than yesterday – everyday - stretches well beyond our manufacturing sites, research laboratories or distribution centers. It also holds true for the communities in which we operate, especially those that have been and continue to be affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In the early days of the pandemic, PPG and the PPG Foundation established a COVID-19 relief fund to provide financial support to eligible non-profit and governmental organizations in hard-hit regions around the world. In 2021, $436,000 (€386,000) in relief funding was distributed to 54 organizations in 25 countries across Europe, Middle East and Africa, Overseas France and Suriname (EMEA).

The overwhelming majority of EMEA's portion of the relief funding was allocated to food banks, schools and other educational partners, and organizations dedicated to mental health programming.

“Requests from local communities quickly confirmed that food insecurity, educational support and children's mental health care required the most attention," Lucie Burianova, communications manager, community engagement, EMEA, said. “Our COVID-19 relief efforts helped created an important safety net for dozens of organizations that provide these critical services."

Specifically, the funding helped food banks and organizations providing food support in Italy, South Africa, Germany, Switzerland, and France meet significant increases in demand. In addition, schools and organizations serving children in need in the Netherlands, Romania, Czech Republic and other countries invested in much-needed remote learning programs and educational support. And across Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, funding helped mental health providers address increasing rates of depression, anxiety, loneliness and suicidal behaviors among children and adults.

“We are so pleased to have PPG Tikkurila as a partner to support our work with children and young people," said Nina Tuomenoksa, partnership manager for Kummit, a non-profit organiztion in Finland that supports children's health care programs, and one of the many beneficiaries of PPG's COVID-19 relief funding. “Now more than ever, we need to work together to create change and respond to problems at the earliest possible stage."