Bridgestone plant earns environmental award

April 8, 2015

Bridgestone Americas Inc.'s passenger and light truck tire manufacturing facility in Wilson, North Carolina has earned recognition for its achievements in sustainable manufacturing. The plant received a 2015 Project of the Year award from Environmental Leader, a publication that keeps business leaders informed about environmental and sustainability news.

The Bridgestone Wilson tire plant, which is the first in the world to receive zero waste to landfill claim validation from Underwriters Laboratories (UL), was honored for its innovation in developing a comprehensive program to achieve zero waste to landfill.

“Conducting operations in the most responsible and sustainable ways is vital to business today and reflects our company’s environmental mission to ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations,” says Jim Lehman, director of environmental affairs for Bridgestone Americas. “Reaching and maintaining zero waste to landfill at our Wilson tire plant — our largest passenger tire facility in the Americas — is one of our proudest accomplishments at Bridgestone, and we are honored that the esteemed panelists recognized our ongoing commitment to sustainable manufacturing with this award.”

The Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards program recognizes excellence in products and services that provide companies with energy and environmental benefits, or in corporate projects that improved environmental or energy management, while also benefiting the bottom line. The panel of award reviewers for the Environmental Leader program acknowledged the difficulty of meeting waste diversion and reduction goals in a tire manufacturing environment, particularly for a facility with a footprint as large as the Bridgestone Wilson tire plant.

In 2012, Bridgestone Corporation announced a long-term environmental vision for the year 2050. The vision sets forth aggressive targets, which include reducing CO2 emissions by 50% and making products from fully renewable and sustainable resources by 2050 and beyond. To learn more or to view the company’s most recent environmental report, visit Bridgestone.com.