Yokohama Achieves ‘Zero Emissions’ at Philippines Production Plant

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has announced that Yokohama Tire Philippines Inc. (YTPI), the company’s production and sales location for passenger car tyres in the Philippines, achieved what the company calls "complete zero emissions" in June 2010. Yokohama Rubber confirmed the achievement by conducting on-site investigations of all contractors commissioned to dispose of waste from the plant (based on the disposal flowchart of each contractor), confirming achievement of "complete zero emissions." By Yokohama’s reckoning, "complete zero emissions" means no waste is subject to direct landfill disposal.

YTPI began efforts towards "zero emissions" – which internally translates as landfill disposal of less than 1 per cent of total waste – in 2006. Starting by recycling paper waste from offices, the company conducted Recycle Collection Events of recyclable resources that grew to include PET bottles, plastic containers and used cans, separated and collected by each department or manufacturing process.

In November 2009, a team of Zero Emission Responsible Officers (ZERO) representing each department and manufacturing process was formed to promote zero emissions activities, including monthly patrols. In this way, the entire company, with the participation of each of its employees, worked to achieve the goal via thorough, affirmative separation of recyclable resources.

The next target is to achieve “100 per cent waste recycling”, which means no waste generated in the course of business activities is subject to landfill disposal or incineration “without effective utilization.”

As stated in its “Medium-Range Management Plan: Grand Design 100 (GD100),” the Yokohama Rubber Group has endorsed the concept of “top-level environmental friendliness.” A priority issue in that declaration is the reduction of waste emissions at domestic and overseas production sites. Domestically, all eight production sites have maintained “complete zero emissions” since March 2006, and had achieved 100 per cent recycling of industrial waste by the end of 2009. All overseas production sites aim to achieve “complete zero emissions” by the end of 2011.

Along with YTPI and Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co. Ltd. (Yokohama’s Chinese passenger car tyre plant), Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd., (the firm’s Thai passenger-car/truck and bus factory) have also achieved “zero emissions.”

Related News:

• Yokohama to Increase Capacity in Thailand

• Yokohama Opens Thai Natural Rubber Processing Factory

• Sales Down, Income Up at Yokohama Rubber