[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 7, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66843-66844]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27112]


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FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION

[File No. 112 3160]


The PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc.; Analysis of Proposed 
Consent Order To Aid Public Comment

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission.

ACTION: Proposed consent agreement.

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SUMMARY: The consent agreement in this matter settles alleged 
violations of federal law prohibiting unfair or deceptive acts or 
practices or unfair methods of competition. The attached Analysis to 
Aid Public Comment describes both the allegations in the draft 
complaint and the terms of the consent order--embodied in the consent 
agreement--that would settle these allegations.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 26, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties may file a comment at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ppgarchitecturalconsent online or on 
paper, by following the instructions in the Request for Comment part of 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. Write ``PPG Architectural, 
File No. 112 3160'' on your comment and file your comment online at 
https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ppgarchitecturalconsent, by 
following the instructions on the web-based form. If you prefer to file 
your comment on paper, mail or deliver your comment to the following 
address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the Secretary, Room H-113 
(Annex D), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20580.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Laura Kim (202-326-3734), FTC, Bureau 
of Consumer Protection, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20580.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 6(f) of the Federal 
Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 2.34, 16 CFR 2.34, 
notice is hereby given that the above-captioned consent agreement 
containing a consent order to cease and desist, having been filed with 
and accepted, subject to final approval, by the Commission, has been 
placed on the public record for a period of thirty (30) days. The 
following Analysis to Aid Public Comment describes the terms of the 
consent agreement, and the allegations in the complaint. An electronic 
copy of the full text of the consent agreement package can be obtained 
from the FTC Home Page (for October 25, 2012), on the World Wide Web, 
at http://www.ftc.gov/os/actions.shtm. A paper copy can be obtained 
from the FTC Public Reference Room, Room 130-H, 600 Pennsylvania Avenue 
NW., Washington, DC 20580, either in person or by calling (202) 326-
2222.
    You can file a comment online or on paper. For the Commission to 
consider your comment, we must receive it on or before November 26, 
2012. Write ``PPG Architectural, File No. 112 3160'' on your comment. 
Your comment--including your name and your state--will be placed on the 
public record of this proceeding, including, to the extent practicable, 
on the public Commission Web site, at http://www.ftc.gov/os/publiccomments.shtm. As a matter of discretion, the Commission tries to 
remove individuals' home contact information from comments before 
placing them on the Commission Web site.
    Because your comment will be made public, you are solely 
responsible for making sure that your comment does not include any 
sensitive personal information, like anyone's Social Security number, 
date of birth, driver's license number or other state identification 
number or foreign country equivalent, passport number, financial 
account number, or credit or debit card number. You are also solely 
responsible for making sure that your comment does not include any 
sensitive health information, like medical records or other 
individually identifiable health information. In addition, do not 
include any ``[t]rade secret or any commercial or financial information 
which * * * is privileged or confidential,'' as discussed in Section 
6(f) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. 46(f), and FTC Rule 4.10(a)(2), 16 CFR 
4.10(a)(2). In particular, do not include competitively sensitive 
information such as costs, sales statistics, inventories, formulas, 
patterns, devices, manufacturing processes, or customer names.
    If you want the Commission to give your comment confidential 
treatment, you must file it in paper form, with a request for 
confidential treatment, and you have to follow the procedure explained 
in FTC Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).\1\ Your comment will be kept 
confidential only if the FTC General Counsel, in his or her sole 
discretion, grants your request in accordance with the law and the 
public interest.
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    \1\ In particular, the written request for confidential 
treatment that accompanies the comment must include the factual and 
legal basis for the request, and must identify the specific portions 
of the comment to be withheld from the public record. See FTC Rule 
4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c).
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    Postal mail addressed to the Commission is subject to delay due to 
heightened security screening. As a result, we encourage you to submit 
your comments online. To make sure that the Commission considers your 
online comment, you must file it at https://ftcpublic.commentworks.com/ftc/ppgarchitecturalconsent by following the instructions on the web-
based form. If this Notice appears at http://www.regulations.gov/#!home, you also may file a comment through that Web site.
    If you file your comment on paper, write ``PPG Architectural, File 
No. 112 3160'' on your comment and on the envelope, and mail or deliver 
it to the following address: Federal Trade Commission, Office of the 
Secretary, Room H-113 (Annex D), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20580. If possible, submit your paper comment to the 
Commission by courier or overnight service.

[[Page 66844]]

    Visit the Commission Web site at http://www.ftc.gov to read this 
Notice and the news release describing it. The FTC Act and other laws 
that the Commission administers permit the collection of public 
comments to consider and use in this proceeding as appropriate. The 
Commission will consider all timely and responsive public comments that 
it receives on or before November 26, 2012. You can find more 
information, including routine uses permitted by the Privacy Act, in 
the Commission's privacy policy, at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.htm.

Analysis of Agreement Containing Consent Order To Aid Public Comment

    The Federal Trade Commission (``FTC'' or ``Commission'') has 
accepted, subject to final approval, an agreement containing a consent 
order from PPG Architectural Finishes, Inc. (``PPG'').
    The proposed consent order has been placed on the public record for 
thirty (30) days for receipt of comments by interested persons. 
Comments received during this period will become part of the public 
record. After thirty (30) days, the Commission will again review the 
agreement and the comments received, and decide whether it should 
withdraw from the agreement or make final the agreement's proposed 
order.
    This matter involves PPG's marketing and sale of ``zero VOC'' 
paints. According to the FTC complaint, PPG represented that its Pure 
Performance paints, including paints with color added, contain zero 
VOCs. But the complaint alleges that, in numerous instances, the paint 
does not contain zero VOCs after the addition of color. It also alleges 
that PPG did not possess and rely upon a reasonable basis 
substantiating these representations when it made them. Finally, it 
alleges that, by providing independent distributors and retailers with 
promotional materials making the above representations, PPG provided 
these third parties with the means and instrumentalities to engage in 
deceptive practices. Thus, the complaint alleges that PPG engaged in 
deceptive practices in violation of Section 5(a) of the FTC Act.
    The proposed order contains three provisions designed to prevent 
PPG from engaging in similar acts and practices in the future. Part I 
addresses the marketing of zero VOC paints. It prohibits PPG from 
claiming that its paints (including paints manufactured under its PPG, 
Pittsburgh Paints, Porter Paints, and Olympic brands) contain ``zero 
VOCs'' unless: (1) After tinting, the VOC level is zero grams per liter 
(``g/L'') or PPG possesses competent and reliable scientific evidence 
that the paint contains no more than a trace level of VOCs; or (2) PPG 
clearly and prominently discloses that the claim applies only to the 
base paint and that, depending on the color choice, the VOC level may 
increase. In situations where a paint's post-tint VOC level is 50 g/L 
or more, the order requires PPG to disclose that the VOC level 
increases ``significantly'' or ``up to [the highest possible VOC level 
after tinting].'' \2\
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    \2\ The order does not require PPG to characterize an increase 
of less than 50 g/L as ``significant'' because paints with this 
level of VOCs are considered by air quality regulators and 
environmental certification groups to be low in VOCs.
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    Part II addresses VOC and environmental benefit or attribute claims 
made about paints and other architectural coatings. It prohibits such 
representations unless the representation is true, not misleading, and 
substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence.
    Part III prohibits PPG from providing to others the means and 
instrumentalities with which to make any claim prohibited by Part I or 
II. It defines ``means and instrumentalities'' as any information, 
including any advertising, labeling, or promotional, sales training, or 
purported substantiation materials, for use by trade customers in their 
marketing of any such product or service.
    Part IV requires PPG to send a letter to its retailers, requiring 
them to remove all Pure Performance ads with zero VOC claims and affix 
a sticker to existing Pure Performance paint can labels.
    Finally, Parts V though VIII require PPG to: keep copies of 
advertisements and materials relied upon in disseminating any 
representation covered by the order; provide copies of the order to 
certain personnel, agents, and representatives having supervisory 
responsibilities with respect to the subject matter of the order; 
notify the Commission of changes in its structure that might affect 
compliance obligations under the order; and file a compliance report 
with the Commission and respond to other requests from FTC staff. Part 
IX provides that the order will terminate after twenty (20) years, with 
certain exceptions.
    The purpose of this analysis is to facilitate public comment on the 
proposed order. It is not intended to constitute an official 
interpretation of the complaint or the proposed order, or to modify the 
proposed order's terms in any way.

    By direction of the Commission.
Donald S. Clark,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-27112 Filed 11-6-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6750-01-P