The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., has announced a new procurement policy for sustainable natural rubber.
The policy explains Yokohama Rubber’s stance regarding the procurement of natural rubber, the initiatives being taken by the Company and related requests to its suppliers and is based on the contents of theInternational Rubber Study Group’s Sustainable Natural Rubber Initiative and the main proposals made by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s Tire Industry Project at the “World Rubber Summit 2018” in May this year. The Policy outlines the initiatives to be taken by the Yokohama Rubber Group as well as those requested of its suppliers in such areas as traceability, respect for human and labor rights, and environmental protection. The Policy also includes initiatives specific to the Yokohama Group, such as sharing the know-how the Group has accumulated through the YOKOHAMA Forever Forest Project*3 to help members of the Group’s supply chain fulfill the Policy’s requests for their cooperation. The status of initiatives being undertaken under the Policy will be presented on Company websites, including its CSR website (https://www.y-yokohama.com/global/csr/).
The Yokohama Rubber Group to date has undertaken various activities on its own initiative to secure the sustainability of natural rubber. For example, in Thailand, a major producer of natural rubber, the Group has been conducting joint research on natural rubber with universities since 2013, while also promoting widespread use of an “agroforestry farming method” that contributes to more stable income for the country’s rubber farmers and holding regular exchanges (Suppliers’ Day) with local natural rubber suppliers. Y.T. Rubber Co., Ltd., the Group’s natural rubber processing company in Thailand, has introduced a purification system that recycles the water used at the plant as part of its effort to protect the natural environment and maintain a strong relation based on trust with local residents.
Going forward, the Yokohama Rubber Group will work with all members of its supply chain to promote activities that conform to the Procurement Policy for the Sustainable Natural Rubber and further enhance the “Promotion of CSR activities throughout the value chain”, which has been designated as one of the important goals of the Group’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.