DAYTON, Tenn. — The state of Tennessee has awarded Nokian Tyres P.L.C.'s tire factory in Dayton the Tennessee Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award.
The Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards program recognizes "exceptional voluntary actions that improve or protect the environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives not required by law or regulation."
Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and David Salyers, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, honored eight winners of the awards.
Nokian won its award for sustainable performance.
The winners will be recognized for their achievements during a ceremony Oct. 4 in Franklin, Tenn.
The Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards are presented annually to recognize outstanding achievements by individuals, local governments, businesses, organizations, educational institutions and agencies for successful environmental projects and conservation measures.
Nokian said it is the first winner of the award from Rhea County, Tenn., in the 35-year history of the program.
Nokian identified seven reasons for which it was lauded for its sustainability efforts:
- The production building holds LEED v4 Silver certification. Nokian said it's the only tire factory in the world to achieve that milestone;
- Solar panels anchored in the parking lot provide power to the administration building and generate energy for a portion of the production;
- Three-megawatt panels generate approximately 4,000 megawatt-hours of energy each year, enough to power more than 500 homes;
- The administration building achieved LEED v4 Gold certification;
- The building's innovation in design, energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality. Design innovations include solar power, low-emitting building materials and a high level of natural lighting throughout the facility; and
- A 2.5-acre green space flanks the entrance of the administration building, complete with trees, a pond and walking paths.
Nokian has been named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for four straight years, ranking among the most sustainable publicly traded companies in the world.
Nokian said it was the first tire company to have emissions reduction targets approved by the science-based targets initiative.
