Yokohama Tire Corp.'s Salem, Va., manufacturing plant was recognized in December 2010 as an Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise (E4) in the Virginia Environmental Excellence Program (VEEP).
Among the 450 participants in VEEP, only about 30 have qualified as E4 members -- the highest tier.
Virginia launched VEEP in July 2005 as a cooperative endeavor with companies and organizations located in the state aimed at improving environmental management and fighting pollution. There are three categories of membership, depending on a company's level of environmental commitment and performance:
1. Environmental Enterprise (E2),
2. Exemplary Environmental Enterprise (E3), and
3. Extraordinary Environmental Enterprise (E4).
For their accomplishments, VEEP participants receive tangible incentives such as reduced permitting fees and regulatory flexibility.
The Salem plant carries out comprehensive environmental protection activities on a daily basis. To earn its E4 certification, the plant had to not only meet the requirements of E2 and E3, but also copmlete one full environmental management system (EMS) cycle: issuance of an environmental policy; action planning; implementation and control; checking and corrective action; and management review.
The Salem plant has the capacity to produce 24,100 consumer tires a day, according to the 2011 Modern Tire Dealer Facts Issue.
