Governance Overview
Corporate governance
At PPG, we hold ourselves to high standards of integrity and professional conduct. This means going beyond ensuring compliance with laws, rules and regulations, and upholding our values, code of ethics and voluntary commitments. We review and update our policies regularly to ensure they support us in meeting our high standards of integrity and professional conduct. Key policy updates and other governance developments in 2023 include:
- CEO transition: The Board oversaw and managed the successful transition to our new chairman and CEO, Tim Knavish. The selection process included an extensive review of potential candidates, in-depth interviews and consultation with outside experts to determine the best path for the selection process.
- New financial policies: The Board approved new stand-alone policies for compensation recovery and insider trading. Developing these new polices reflects our comprehensive approach to governance and facilitates more transparent Board oversight. The Human Capital Management and Compensation Committee is now responsible for overseeing these policies and will receive updates on progress as necessary.
- Board composition: The composition of our Board continues to evolve as directors retire and new members join, bringing fresh perspectives and expertise. Last year, we added one new director and had two directors retire. In addition, one director retired in February 2024. This ongoing Board refreshment process allows PPG to respond more nimbly to the external environment by drawing on the diverse perspectives and backgrounds of our members. The Board is currently comprised of 10 members, divided into three classes. Terms of the classes are staggered, with one class standing for election each year. Pursuant to our amended Articles of Incorporation, all directors will be elected annually beginning at PPG's 2025 Annual Meeting.
Data as of May 2024
Sustainability governance
We have a centralized sustainability organization responsible for developing our corporate sustainability strategy and working across the business to execute that strategy. The Board engages with management on ESG strategy, climate change risks and opportunities, and has oversight of the tracking of our sustainability progress. The vice president, global sustainability reported progress to the Sustainability and Innovation Committee three times in 2023, and the full Board of Directors once.
Compliance with our Code of Conduct
In 2023, we opened 858 investigations encompassing 1,228 allegations of employee misconduct. Of the allegations closed as of year's end, 58% were substantiated and resulted in 418 disciplinary actions. 54% of these reports came through the PPG Ethics Helpline in the form of phone or internet submissions. We received the remainder through internal sources, including direct communications to the compliance department, human resources and management.
Enhancing employee awareness of our incident reporting mechanisms was a focus area in 2023. We launched an internal communications campaign to promote the availability of these channels and encourage employees to 'Speak Up.' To better reach frontline employees who don’t work at a computer, we hosted live engagements with line managers and employees at our manufacturing and distribution facilities. Across the company, we distributed wallet cards and posters with QR codes linking to our incident reporting channels and Global Code of Ethics.
Codes and policies
The PPG Global Code of Ethics, which is available in 32 languages, sets forth the principles that apply to all employees everywhere and in every circumstance. Supplementing the code are specific policies and procedures that include our Global Export Control Policy, Gifts, Sponsorships and Charitable Contributions Policy, Anti-Corruption Policy, Due Diligence Procedure for Third Party Intermediaries, Social Media Policy and Denied Country Policy.
Through our Anti-Corruption Policy, PPG prohibits bribery and corruption in all of its business dealings in all countries. The policy applies to all transactions between PPG and every other party, regardless of whether it is between PPG and a private entity or PPG and a government official.
At PPG, we have accomplished strong results in 2023 through upholding processes, onboarding and awareness to anti-corruption and bribery. We will continue the work with suppliers to ensure they meet our anti-corruption standards and policies, among other activities.
For links to PPG's Global Code of Ethics, as well as other public policies, see the Policies page.
Multi-year data highlights
Investigations by region
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2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
Asia Pacific | 81 | 93 | 80 |
Europe, Middle East and Africa | 102 | 83 | 74 |
Latin America | 183 | 131 | 123 |
United States and Canada | 492 | 403 | 381 |
Total | 858 | 710 | 658 |
Disciplinary Actions
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2023 | 2022 | 2021 | |
Warning | 204 | 216 | 200 |
Financial | 7 | 10 | 7 |
Termination | 207 | 173 | 127 |
A single allegation may be made against multiple individuals and could result in multiple disciplinary actions. The 2023 data include only investigations closed as of Jan. 31, 2024.
We no longer report suspension as a disciplinary action, as they only occur in certain countries where the labor law recognizes this option. Often, suspensions are employed as an interim solution during the pendency of an investigation until the matter is resolved.
Substantiation Rate
Percent
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2023 | 2022 | |
PPG | 58% | 61% |
Benchmark | 46% | 52% |
Benchmarks represent comparisons to other manufacturing companies with 50,000+ employees. Data for 2023 are as of Jan. 31, 2024.
Anonymous Reporting Rate
Percent
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2023 | 2022 | |
PPG | 42% | 37% |
Benchmark | 49% | 47% |
Benchmarks represent comparisons to other manufacturing companies with 50,000+ employees. Data for 2023 are as of Dec. 31, 2023.
Case Intake Method
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2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | |
Helpline | 466 | 352 | 323 | 318 |
Proxy | 392 | 359 | 336 | 273 |