Environmental Award Acknowledges Green Efforts at BATO’s Aiken County Plant

Efforts to reduce pollution have earned the Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations (BATO) factory in Aiken County, South Carolina an award from the state’s Department of Health and Environmental Control. The “Spare the Air” award for positive environmental impact was given in recognition of staff activities, such as carpooling, the use of motorcycles or hybrid vehicles and volunteering an community environmental events, along with plant innovations such as the utilisation of volatile organic compound reducing cementless ‘Innovative Tire Building Technology’ and the use of emission-free hydrogen powered forklifts.

“We are very proud of this recognition,” said Aiken County plan manager John Stewart. “Environmental stewardship and a strong commitment to the community are major initiatives of our facility and of our company, and we ask each team-mate at our facility to take a direct role in helping improve our impact on the environment. These steps benefit our neighbours, families and those across the state.”

Opened in 1998, the Aiken County facility is LEED (US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver certified, a designation that acknowledges energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and resource stewardship. The Aiken County plant and the BATO factory in Warren County, Tennessee, are the first two tyre plants in the US to attain LEED certification. The Aiken County facility is also home to an on-site wildlife habitat and nature education area. The area is recognised by the international Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) for its wildlife habitat management and is certified as a WHC Corporate ‘Lands for Learning’ site.