Bridgestone Group Reaches Water Reduction Target Two Years Early

(Photo Credit: Bridgestone)

The Bridgestone Group reports exceeding its 2020 goal of reducing global water withdrawal by 35% two years ahead of schedule. In the company’s newly published Sustainability Report 2018–2019 shows the tire manufacturer cut water withdrawal by 37%.

Headquartered in Tokyo, the group is the largest tire and rubber company in the world. Previously the group targeted the 2020 water withdrawal reduction using a 2005 baseline. In 2016, the group achieved a 28% reduction in water withdrawal at manufacturing facilities per unit, according to the sustainability report. The following year saw a 34% reduction.

“To achieve these results, the Bridgestone Group reuses and recycles water at many manufacturing facilities, especially operations where there are serious concerns about water shortages, such as China and Mexico,” the report says. “It is also using water resources more efficiently by improving production processes and using rainwater where possible.”

Examples from the 2018–2019 Sustainability Report:

• At the Izmit, Turkey facility that the group operates, employees identified ways to reduce the site’s dependence on groundwater by recovering, treating, and reusing rainwater and wastewater. These steps and an education campaign on the importance of using water wisely helped the facility nearly halve its water withdrawal in 10 years.
• When building new tire manufacturing facilities, the Bridgestone Group conducts a risk assessment for water quality and volume. It also uses the World Business Council for Sustainable Development Global Water Tool and World Resources Institute (WRI) Aqueduct to assess water risks at existing facilities and identify improvement opportunities for each location.

The full 2018–2019 sustainability report for Bridgestone is available here.