Cooper Tire releases 2018 Sustainability report

Cooper Tire & Rubber Company has published its seventh annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability report. The report, titled ‘Responsibility the Cooper Way’, is the seventh such report from Cooper Tire. It can be read here.

“Cooper considers corporate social responsibility and sustainability to be an important part of doing business. Publishing this yearly report allows us to detail our progress with initiatives that reduce environmental impact, improve employee health and safety, and support communities,” comments Brad Hughes, Cooper’s president and chief executive officer. “We are committed to these efforts and reporting our progress to key stakeholders.”

Highlights from Cooper’s 2018 report include:

Employee health and safety: Cooper continues to promote a zero-injury culture through a ‘Drive to Zero’ global safety campaign, which demonstrates the company’s commitment to continuous improvement toward becoming an injury-free workplace. The Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) in Cooper’s tyre manufacturing plants worldwide has improved more than 65 per cent in the last three years, placing the organisation at its lowest recordable TRIR rate since tracking this metric.

Sustainable natural rubber: Cooper has signed on as a founding member of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR). The GPSNR is a coordinated, universal and standard industry approach that is driving toward solutions to establish and promote sustainable rubber practices. Cooper is among the leaders in the industry who established this important work initiated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Tire Industry Project (TIP).

Energy optimisation: Cooper has developed a global energy programme that has consistently completed projects and activities to significantly offset energy use, leading facilities across the globe to make strides in energy optimisation efforts and greenhouse gas reduction. At Cooper’s facility in Findlay (Ohio, USA), a combined heat and power system is providing onsite generation of approximately 50 per cent of the plant’s electrical power needs, generating the steam required for plant processes and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Landfill usage: Cooper continues to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills from our manufacturing plants, while increasing the amount of waste that is recycled and reused by other sources. Cooper is recycling approximately 78 per cent of our waste annually.

Tyre safety education: Cooper continues to support its signature cause of tire and vehicle safety for teens and young adults through the Tread Wisely programme. Hundreds of Cooper employees have volunteered to share this important safety message by taking part in events and speaking directly with young drivers. Since the programme’s launch, hundreds of thousands of teens and young adults across the globe have been reached through the Tread Wisely effort.