Bridgestone has announced its first tyre manufacturing site to be verified as carbon neutral (scopes 1 and 2).
The plant at Chakan in Pune, India, was audited in May and June 2023, and was subsequently verified according to the international PAS 2060 standard for the year 2022 by leading global assurance partner, LRQA, according to a press communique.
The certification marks an important milestone in Bridgestone’s efforts to decarbonise its manufacturing capacity, towards the global target of carbon neutrality (Scope 1 and 2) by 2050 and a 50% reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from its operations by 2030 versus the 2011 benchmark.
Bridgestone’s Pune manufacturing facility produces more than 4 million tyres annually. Over the years, the site has reduced its total carbon footprint by 94%, through several measures. These include for instance solar panels at the plant and a carbon neutral biomass-based boiler plant which uses carbon neutral biomass briquettes made from agricultural waste.
Carbon neutral
“Bridgestone is globally committed to the realisation of a carbon neutral mobility society and we in India are focused on this goal. Our future plans include further increasing the use of green energy, reducing carbon emissions in our overall operations and tracking scope 3 emissions,” stressed Stefano Sanchini, Managing Director, Bridgestone India.
“We are delighted to be part of Bridgestone’s decarbonization project, as our focus at LRQA is on supporting clients to ensure the trustworthiness of their sustainability strategies and climate change claims,” observed Olga Rivas, ESG Product Cluster Manager, LRQA.
Sustainable solutions
Bridgestone sustainability efforts are a major part of Bridgestone’s vision to continue to provide social and customer value as a sustainable solutions company toward 2050. They are also the embodiment of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment, a set of eight areas (Energy, Ecology, Efficiency, Extension, Economy, Emotion, Ease, Empowerment) which provide a compass and guide Bridgestone to do business in a sustainable way.
“The carbon neutral certification of one of our two tyre plants in India is a historic landmark in the Company’s commitment towards sustainability more so as Bridgestone has set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2050, in line with the Paris climate agreement” said Koji Takagi, Chief Sustainability Officer, Bridgestone EMIA.
