Commitments and Contingent Liabilities

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2017

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

PPG is involved in a number of lawsuits and claims, both actual and potential, including some that it has asserted against others, in which substantial monetary damages are sought. These lawsuits and claims may relate to contract, patent, environmental, product liability, antitrust, employment and other matters arising out of the conduct of PPG’s current and past business activities. To the extent that these lawsuits and claims involve personal injury and property damage, PPG believes it has adequate insurance; however, certain of PPG’s insurers are contesting coverage with respect to some of these claims, and other insurers, as they had prior to the asbestos settlement described below, may contest coverage with respect to some of the asbestos claims if the settlement is not implemented. PPG’s lawsuits and claims against others include claims against insurers and other third parties with respect to actual and contingent losses related to environmental, asbestos and other matters.

The results of any current or future litigation and claims are inherently unpredictable. However, management believes that, in the aggregate, the outcome of all lawsuits and claims involving PPG will not have a material effect on PPG’s consolidated financial position or liquidity; however, such outcome may be material to the results of operations of any particular period in which costs, if any, are recognized.

Asbestos matters

Prior to 2000, the Company had been named as a defendant in numerous claims alleging bodily injury from (i) exposure to asbestos-containing products allegedly manufactured, sold or distributed by the Company, its subsidiaries, or for which they are otherwise alleged to be liable; (ii) exposure to asbestos allegedly present at a facility owned or leased by the Company; or (iii) exposure to asbestos-containing products of Pittsburgh Corning Corporation (“PC”) for which the Company was alleged to be liable under a variety of legal theories (the Company and Corning Incorporated were each 50% shareholders in PC).

Pittsburgh Corning Corporation asbestos bankruptcy

In 2000, PC filed for Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania in an effort to permanently and comprehensively resolve all of its pending and future asbestos-related liability claims. At the time of the bankruptcy filing, the Company had been named as one of many defendants in approximately 114,000 open claims. The Bankruptcy Court subsequently entered a series of orders preliminarily enjoining the prosecution of asbestos litigation against PPG until after the effective date of a confirmed PC plan of reorganization. During the pendency of this preliminary injunction staying asbestos litigation against PPG, PPG and certain of its historical liability insurers negotiated a settlement with representatives of present and future asbestos claimants. That settlement was incorporated into a PC plan of reorganization that was confirmed by the Bankruptcy Court on May 24, 2013 and ultimately became effective on April 27, 2016. With the effectiveness of the plan, the preliminary injunction staying the prosecution of asbestos litigation against PPG expired by its own terms on May 27, 2016. In accordance with the settlement, the Bankruptcy Court issued a permanent channeling injunction under Section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code that prohibits present and future claimants from asserting claims against PPG that arise, in whole or in part, out of exposure to asbestos or asbestos-containing products manufactured, sold and/or distributed by PC or asbestos on or emanating from any PC premises. The channeling injunction, by its terms, also prohibits codefendants in cases that are subject to the channeling injunction from asserting claims against PPG for contribution, indemnification or other recovery. The channeling injunction also precludes the prosecution of claims against PPG arising from alleged exposure to asbestos or asbestos-containing products to the extent that a claimant is alleging or seeking to impose liability, directly or indirectly, for the conduct of, claims against, or demands on PC by reason of PPG’s: (i) ownership of a financial interest in PC; (ii) involvement in the management of PC, or service as an officer, director or employee of PC or a related party; (iii) provision of insurance to PC or a related party; or (iv) involvement in a financial transaction affecting the financial condition of PC or a related party. The foregoing PC related claims are referred to as “PC Relationship Claims.”

The channeling injunction channels the Company’s liability for PC Relationship Claims to a trust funded in part by PPG and its participating insurers for the benefit of current and future PC asbestos claimants (the “Trust”). The Trust is the sole recourse for holders of PC Relationship Claims. PPG and its affiliates have no further liability or responsibility for, and will be permanently protected from, pending and future PC Relationship Claims. The channeling injunction does not extend to present and future claims against PPG that arise out of alleged exposure to asbestos or asbestos-containing products historically manufactured, sold and/or distributed by PPG or its subsidiaries or for which they are alleged to be liable that are not PC Relationship Claims, and does not extend to claims against PPG alleging personal injury allegedly caused by asbestos on premises presently or formerly owned, leased or occupied by PPG. These claims are referred to as non-PC Relationship Claims.

In accordance with the PC plan of reorganization, PPG's equity interest in PC was canceled. PPG satisfied its funding obligations to the Trust on June 9, 2016, when it conveyed to the Trust the stock it owned in Pittsburgh Corning Europe and 2,777,778 shares of PPG’s common stock and made a cash payment to the Trust in the amount of $764 million. PPG’s historical insurance carriers participating in the PC plan of reorganization are required to make cash payments to the Trust of approximately $1.7 billion, subject to a right of prepayment at a 5.5% discount rate.

On October 13, 2016, the Bankruptcy Court issued an order entering a final decree and closing the Chapter 11 case. That order provided that the Bankruptcy Court retained jurisdiction to enforce any order issued in the case and any agreements approved by the court, enforce the terms and conditions or the modified third amended Plan, and consider any requests to reopen the case.

The following table outlines the impact on PPG's financial statements for the year-ended December 31, 2016, including the change in fair value of the PPG stock contributed to the Trust, the equity forward instrument and the increase in the net present value of the payments made to the trust.



	Consolidated Balance Sheet
	Asbestos Settlement Liability						Equity Forward (Asset) Liability			Pre-tax Charge
($ in millions)	Current			Long-term			Equity Forward (Asset) Liability			Pre-tax Charge
Balance as of and Activity for the year ended December 31, 2015		$796			$252			($223	)		$12
Change in fair value:
PPG stock	34			—			—			34
Equity forward instrument	—						(35		)	(35		)
Accretion of asbestos liability	—			6			—			6
Settlement of equity forward instrument with counterparty^(a)	—			—			(49		)	—
Contribution of PCE shares and relinquishment of PC investment	(15		)	—			—			—
Contribution of 2,777,778 shares of PPG stock to the PC Trust	(308		)				308
Contribution of cash to the PC Trust^(a)	(506		)	(258		)	—
Reclassification	(1		)	—			(1		)	—
Balance as of and Activity for the year ended December 31, 2016		$—			$—			$—			$5


(a)	Cash outflows related to the asbestos settlement funding totaled $813 million in 2016.

Non-PC relationship asbestos claims

At the time PC filed for bankruptcy, PPG had been named as one of many defendants in one or more of the categories of asbestos-related claims identified above. Over the course of the 16 years during which the PC bankruptcy proceedings, and corresponding preliminary injunction staying the prosecution of asbestos-related claims against PPG, were pending, certain plaintiffs alleging premises claims filed motions seeking to lift the stay with respect to more than 1,000 individually-identified premises. The Bankruptcy Court granted motions to lift the stay in respect to certain of these premises claims and directed PPG to engage in a process to address any additional premises claims that were the subject of pending or anticipated lift-stay motions. As a result of the overall process as directed by the Bankruptcy Court involving more than 1,000 premises claims between 2006 and May 27, 2016, hundreds of these claims were withdrawn or dismissed without payment and approximately 650 premises claims were dismissed upon agreements by PPG and its insurers to resolve such claims in exchange for monetary payments.

With respect to the remaining claims not identified above and still reportable within the inventory of 114,000 asbestos-related claims at the time PC filed for bankruptcy, the Company considers such claims to fall within one or more of the following categories: (1) claims that have been closed or dismissed as a result of processes undertaken during the bankruptcy; (2) claims that may have been previously filed on the dockets of state and federal courts in various jurisdictions, but are inactive as to the Company; and (3) claims that are subject, in whole or in part, to the channeling injunction and thus will be resolved, in whole or in part, in accordance with the Trust procedures established under the PC bankruptcy reorganization plan. As a result of the foregoing, the Company does not consider these three categories of claims to be open or active litigation against it, although the Company cannot now determine whether, or the extent to which, any of these claims may in the future be reinstituted, reinstated, or revived such that they may become open and active asbestos-related claims against it.

Current open and active claims post-Pittsburgh Corning bankruptcy

The Company is aware of approximately 625 open and active asbestos-related claims pending against the Company and certain of its subsidiaries. These claims consist primarily of non-PC Relationship Claims and claims against a subsidiary of PPG. The Company is defending the remaining open and active claims vigorously.

Since April 1, 2013, a subsidiary of PPG has been implicated in claims alleging death or injury caused by asbestos-containing products manufactured, distributed or sold by a North American architectural coatings business or its predecessors which was acquired by PPG. All such claims have been either served upon or tendered to the seller for defense and indemnity pursuant to obligations undertaken by the seller in connection with the Company’s purchase of the North American architectural coatings business. The seller has accepted the defense of these claims subject to the terms of various agreements between the Company and the seller. The seller’s defense and indemnity obligations in connection with newly filed claims will cease with respect to claims filed after April 1, 2018.

PPG has established reserves totaling approximately $180 million for asbestos-related claims that would not be channeled to the Trust which, based on presently available information, we believe will be sufficient to encompass all of PPG’s current and potential future asbestos liabilities. These reserves include a $162 million reserve established in 2009 in connection with an amendment to the PC plan of reorganization. These reserves, which are included within "Other liabilities" on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, represent PPG’s best estimate of its liability for these claims. PPG does not have sufficient current claim information or settlement history on which to base a better estimate of this liability in light of the fact that the Bankruptcy Court’s injunction staying most asbestos claims against the Company was in effect from April 2000 through May 2016. PPG will monitor the activity associated with its remaining asbestos claims and evaluate, on a periodic basis, its estimated liability for such claims, its insurance assets then available, and all underlying assumptions to determine whether any adjustment to the reserves for these claims is required.

The amount reserved for asbestos-related claims by its nature is subject to many uncertainties that may change over time, including (i) the ultimate number of claims filed; (ii) the amounts required to resolve both currently known and future unknown claims; (iii) the amount of insurance, if any, available to cover such claims; (iv) the unpredictable aspects of the litigation process, including a changing trial docket and the jurisdictions in which trials are scheduled; (v) the outcome of any trials, including potential judgments or jury verdicts; (vi) the lack of specific information in many cases concerning exposure for which PPG is allegedly responsible, and the claimants’ alleged diseases resulting from such exposure; and (vii) potential changes in applicable federal and/or state tort liability law. All of these factors may have a material effect upon future asbestos-related liability estimates. As a potential offset to any future asbestos financial exposure, under the PC plan of reorganization PPG retained, for its own account, the right to pursue insurance coverage from certain of its historical insurers that did not participate in the PC plan of reorganization. While the ultimate outcome of PPG’s asbestos litigation cannot be predicted with certainty, PPG believes that any financial exposure resulting from its asbestos-related claims will not have a material adverse effect on PPG’s consolidated financial position, liquidity or results of operations.

Environmental matters

It is PPG’s policy to accrue expenses for environmental contingencies when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Reserves for environmental contingencies are exclusive of claims against third parties and are generally not discounted. In management’s opinion, the Company operates in an environmentally sound manner and the outcome of the Company’s environmental contingencies will not have a material effect on PPG’s financial position or liquidity; however, any such outcome may be material to the results of operations of any particular period in which costs, if any, are recognized. Management anticipates that the resolution of the Company’s environmental contingencies will occur over an extended period of time.

As of December 31, 2017 and 2016, PPG had reserves for environmental contingencies associated with PPG’s former chromium manufacturing plant in Jersey City, N.J. (“New Jersey Chrome”) and for other environmental contingencies, including National Priority List sites and legacy glass and chemical manufacturing sites. These reserves are reported as “Accounts payable and accrued liabilities” and “Other liabilities” in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet.



Environmental Reserves
($ in millions)	2017		2016
New Jersey Chrome		$136		$163
Legacy glass and chemical	71		70
Other	51		52
Total		$258		$285
Current Portion		$73		$76

Pre-tax charges against income for environmental remediation costs are included in “Other charges” in the accompanying consolidated statement of income. The pre-tax charges and cash outlays related to such environmental remediation in 2017,

2016 and 2015, were as follows:



($ in millions)	2017		2016		2015
New Jersey Chrome		$4		$60		$—
Other	6		34		9
Total		$10		$94		$9
Cash outlays for environmental spending		$44		$47		$109

The Company continues to analyze, assess and remediate the environmental issues associated with New Jersey Chrome as further discussed below. During the past three years, charges for estimated environmental remediation costs were significantly higher than PPG’s historical range. Excluding the charges related to New Jersey Chrome, pre-tax charges against income for environmental remediation have ranged between approximately $5 million and $35 million per year for the past 10 years.

Management expects cash outlays for environmental remediation costs to range from $25 million to $75 million annually from 2018 through 2022.

It is possible that technological, regulatory and enforcement developments, the results of environmental studies and other factors could alter the Company’s expectations with respect to future charges against income and future cash outlays. Specifically, the level of expected future remediation costs and cash outlays is highly dependent upon activity related to New Jersey Chrome as discussed below.

Remediation: New Jersey Chrome

In June 2009, PPG entered into a settlement agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (“NJDEP”) and Jersey City, New Jersey (which had asserted claims against PPG for lost tax revenue) which was in the form of a Judicial Consent Order (the "JCO"). Under the JCO, PPG accepted sole responsibility for the remediation activities at its former chromium manufacturing location in Jersey City and 19 additional sites. The principal contaminant of concern is hexavalent chromium. The JCO also provided for the appointment of a court-approved Site Administrator who is responsible for establishing a master schedule for the remediation of the 20 PPG sites which existed at that time. One site was subsequently removed from the JCO process during 2014 and will be remediated separately at a future date. A total of 19 sites remain subject to the JCO process.

The most significant assumptions underlying the estimate of remediation costs for all New Jersey Chrome sites are those related to the extent and concentration of chromium impacts in the soil, as these determine the quantity of soil that must be treated in place, the quantity that will have to be excavated and transported for offsite disposal, and the nature of disposal required. During 2016, PPG completed updated assessments of costs incurred to date versus current progress and the potential cost impacts of the most recent information, including the extent of impacted soils, percentage of hazardous versus non-hazardous soils, daily soil excavation rates, and engineering, administrative and other associated costs. Based on these assessments, a reserve adjustment of $60 million was recorded during 2016. Principal factors affecting costs included refinements in the estimate of the mix of hazardous to non-hazardous soils to be excavated, an overall increase in soil volumes to be excavated, enhanced water management requirements, decreased daily soil excavation rates due to site conditions, initial estimates for remedial actions related to groundwater, and increased oversight and management costs. The reserve adjustments for the estimated costs to remediate all New Jersey Chrome sites are exclusive of any third party indemnification, as the recovery of any such amounts is uncertain. In 2017, the cost of remediation activities reduced the reserve by $27 million.

Groundwater remediation at the former Garfield Avenue chromium-manufacturing site and five adjacent sites is expected to occur over several years after NJDEP’s approval of the work plan. Ongoing groundwater monitoring will be utilized to develop a final groundwater remedial action work plan which is currently expected to be submitted to NJDEP in 2021.

PPG’s financial reserve for remediation of all New Jersey Chrome sites is $136 million at December 31, 2017. The major cost components of this liability continue to be related to excavation, transportation and disposal of impacted soil, as well as construction services. These components each account for approximately 29%, 27% and 23% of the accrued amount, respectively.

There are multiple, future events yet to occur, including further remedy selection and design, remedy implementation and execution and applicable governmental agency or community organization approvals. Considerable uncertainty exists regarding the timing of these future events for the New Jersey Chrome sites. Final resolution of these events is expected to occur over the next several years. As these events occur and to the extent that the cost estimates of the environmental remediation remedies change, the existing reserve for this environmental remediation matter will be adjusted.

Remediation: other sites

Among other sites at which PPG is managing environmental liabilities, remedial actions are occurring at a legacy chemical manufacturing site in Barberton, Ohio, where PPG has completed a Facility Investigation and Corrective Measure Study under USEPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”) Corrective Action Program. PPG has also been addressing the impacts from a legacy plate glass manufacturing site in Kokomo, Indiana under the Voluntary Remediation Program of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. PPG is currently performing additional investigation activities at this location.

With respect to certain other waste sites, the financial condition of other potentially responsible parties also contributes to the uncertainty of estimating PPG’s final costs. Although contributors of waste to sites involving other potentially responsible parties may face governmental agency assertions of joint and several liability, in general, final allocations of costs are made based on the relative contributions of wastes to such sites. PPG is generally not a major contributor to such sites.

Separation and merger of the commodity chemicals business

As a result of the commodity chemicals business separation transaction in 2013, PPG has retained responsibility for potential environmental liabilities that may result from future Natural Resource Damage claims and any potential tort claims at the Calcasieu River Estuary associated with activities and historical operations of the Lake Charles, La. facility. In the fourth quarter of 2017, PPG signed a consent decree prepared by the US Department of Justice for settlement of potential natural resource damage claims at the Calcasieu River Estuary. Payment of PPG’s previously accrued for share of costs into an escrow account will be required within 30 days of lodging of the agreement with the court. Lodging is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2018.

PPG retained additional responsibility for all liabilities relating to, arising out of or resulting from sediment contamination in the Ohio River resulting from historical activities and operations at the Natrium, W.Va. facility, exclusive of remedial activities, if any, that would have been required to have been performed on-site at the Natrium facility. PPG’s obligations with respect to the Ohio River sediment contamination terminated because PPG received no notice of any requirements to further assess or to remediate sediment contamination in the Ohio River, caused by PPG’s operation of the Natrium facility prior to the separation of the commodity chemicals business, during an indemnification period established in the agreement transferring the business to Axiall that ended on December 30, 2017.

Remediation: reasonably possible matters

In addition to the amounts currently reserved for environmental remediation, the Company may be subject to loss contingencies related to environmental matters estimated to be as much as $100 million to $200 million. Such unreserved losses are reasonably possible but are not currently considered to be probable of occurrence. These reasonably possible unreserved losses relate to environmental matters at a number of sites, none of which are individually significant. The loss contingencies related to these sites include significant unresolved issues such as the nature and extent of contamination at these sites and the methods that may have to be employed to remediate them.

The impact of evolving programs, such as natural resource damage claims, industrial site re-use initiatives and domestic and international remediation programs, also adds to the present uncertainties with regard to the ultimate resolution of this unreserved exposure to future loss. The Company’s assessment of the potential impact of these environmental contingencies is subject to considerable uncertainty due to the complex, ongoing and evolving process of investigation and remediation, if necessary, of such environmental contingencies, and the potential for technological and regulatory developments.