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PPG’s New Paint for a New Start initiative transforms Houcheng Kindergarten in Zhangjiagang, China, with colorful makeover

August 31, 2022

Zhangjiagang, China, Aug. 31, 2022 – PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced that it has completed a colorful and transformative makeover at Houcheng Kindergarten in Zhangjiagang, China, through its global New Paint for a New Start initiative, which is part of the company’s COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® program.

The project brought together more than 60 PPG volunteers, who painted the school’s exterior walls. PPG provided more than $40,000 (approximately RMB 270,000) in products and services to assist with the project, including 215 gallons (814 liters) of SEIGNEURIE™ exterior paint.

The Colorful Communities program provides PPG volunteers and products along with financial contributions to bring color and vitality to communities where the company operates around the world, such as in Zhangjiagang, where PPG has a production facility and its China Application Innovation Center.

Through New Paint for a New Start, PPG employees around the world are volunteering their time throughout the months of July and August to transform more than 25 schools and serve local students. Using PPG paint products and color expertise, each project aims to create engaging spaces for students to learn and grow.

Houcheng Kindergarten is located in the center of the residential area of Houcheng, which is a century-old town. In December 1998, it was recognized as a model kindergarten in Jiangsu Province, and the government expanded the school in 2001. The paint on all the building’s exterior walls was fading, peeling and cracking due to weathering. The New Paint for a New Start project aimed to refurbish the facility to create a colorful and beautiful space for more than 650 students and educators.

Most of the New Paint for a New Start projects worldwide use a single global color palette that PPG color experts specifically selected to elevate physical classroom environments. At Houcheng Kindergarten, volunteers used red, yellow, blue, white and green hues to develop colorful patterns that provide a refreshing visual effect.

“We are very grateful to PPG for helping beautify our space,” said Li Xiaoping, headmaster,  Houcheng Kindergarten. “The overall project design is aligned with our values of ecology, practice and harmony very well. Our students and educators really like the colors and patterns that PPG designed for us and make our kindergarten life happy and interesting.”

“PPG is committed to the education and growth of our children,” said Fiona Chen, PPG associate director, Government Affairs and Community Engagement, Asia Pacific. “When the students of Houcheng Kindergarten go back to school in September, they will find a bright and colorful school that will help them feel excited, supported and ready to learn.”

The Colorful Communities program, PPG’s signature initiative for supporting communities, aims to protect and beautify the neighborhoods where PPG operates around the world. Through the Colorful Communities program, PPG’s committed volunteers contribute their time and PPG paint products to help transform community assets – from painting classrooms, to bringing color to a maternity ward and redesigning a playground. Since 2015, PPG has completed more than 400 Colorful Communities projects, impacting more than 7.4 million people in 42 countries.

PPG’s global community engagement efforts and the PPG Foundation aim to bring color and brightness to PPG communities around the world. We invested $13.3 million in 2021, supporting hundreds of organizations across more than 40 countries. By investing in educational opportunities, we help grow today’s skilled workforce and develop tomorrow’s innovators in fields related to coatings and manufacturing. Plus, we empower PPG employees to multiply their impact for causes that are important to them by supporting their volunteer efforts and charitable giving. Learn more at communities.ppg.com.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD®

At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for nearly 140 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers’ biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 75 countries and reported net sales of $16.8 billion in 2021. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.

Colorful Communities, the PPG Logo and We protect and beautify the world are registered trademarks of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

Seigneurie is a trademark of PPG AC-France.  

PPG Media Contact:
William Zhang
Corporate Communications, Asia Pacific
+86 21 6091 8352
william.zhang@ppg.com
www.ppgcommunities.com

Multimedia Files:

The New Paint for a New Start initiative brought together nearly 60 PPG volunteers, who completed a colorful and transformative makeover at Houcheng Kindergarten in Zhangjiagang, China. The initiative is part of the company’s ongoing COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® program. 5349 x 3566 jpg 3.61 MB
Zhou Feng, associate director, Urban and Rural Development Bureau, Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone (second from left), Li Xiaoping, headmaster, Houcheng Kindergarten, Zhangjiagang (first from left), and Fiona Chen, PPG associate director, Government Affairs and Community Engagement, Asia Pacific (second from right), launched a COLORFUL COMMUNITIES® project that transformed the school’s exterior walls. 5008 x 3269 jpg 2.45 MB
New Paint for a New Start projects worldwide use a single global color palette that PPG color experts specifically selected to elevate physical classroom environments. 4000 x 2250 jpg 3.42 MB
Volunteers from PPG’s Zhangjiagang, China, plant paint the exterior walls of Houcheng Kindergarten during a New Paint for a New Start project. 5285 x 3523 jpg 1.79 MB
Volunteers from PPG’s Zhangjiagang, China, plant paint the exterior walls of Houcheng Kindergarten during a New Paint for a New Start project. 5472 x 3648 jpg 2.38 MB