TOKYO — Bridgestone Corp. has converted 100% of the electricity used at four tire plants in Japan to renewable energy sources, such as hydro, geothermal, solar and/or wind energy.
The initiative affects factories in passenger/light truck tire factories in Hikone and Tosu and mining/construction tire plants in Shimonoseki and Kitakyushu, Bridgestone said, noting the conversions are part of its carbon-neutrality target and goal to become a "sustainable solutions" company by 2050.
The group's "milestone 2030" medium-term strategy eyes a 50% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 compared to 2011.
Bridgestone said it expects adopting renewable energy sources, along with other initiatives carried out during 2020, to cut annual CO2 emissions from its 10 tire plants in Japan by 30% compared with the 2011 baseline.
To achieve the targets, Bridgestone said it will continue to expand renewable energy use, improve tire production energy efficiency and install new solar-power generation systems at all domestic tire factories through 2030.
In March Bridgestone Europe announced that it has completed the switch to renewable energy as the source of power for all of its business sites in Europe. In addition, the group is installing solar-power-generation facilities at its plants in Aiken, S.C., and Wuxi in China.
