Being Green: Yokohama Earns Award In Environmental Achievement

The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that it had earned the "Environmental Achievement of the Year" award for its outstanding environmental activities at Tire Technology Expo 2011, the most important tire manufacturing technology exhibition in the world, which ran from February 15 through 17 in Cologne, Germany. The award is one of five "Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence 2011." The awards ceremony was held on February 16, with President Osamu Mikami of Yokohama Europe GmbH, a Yokohama Rubber subsidiary, attending.

"Tire Technology International Awards for Innovation and Excellence" recognize performance during the previous year and are given in five categories: tire manufacturing and design, tire development technology, environmental achievement, best tire manufacturer, and best tire supplier. The jury, consisting of internationally renowned tire and auto industry experts, engineers, scientists and others, evaluated Yokohama Rubber's comprehensive efforts to reduce environmental burden highly; specifically, (1) efforts to preserve biodiversity, including issuance of guidelines for the preservation of biodiversity, (2) promotion of its Yokohama Forever Forest Project, to create forests at domestic and overseas production sites, (3) reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by introducing solar power gen
ration systems at production facilities, and (4) efforts to achieve "complete zero emissions" – that is, no waste subject to direct landfill disposal.

Annually held in Europe since 2001, Tire Technology Expo is a manufacturing technology exhibition and conference. The event draws tire and material manufacturers, research institutes, etc., as a forum to present results of their efforts to improve technology for designing and producing tires. This year, about 150 companies and organizations participated.

Credits: wilswong