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CSR through environmental activities

• Environmental management system
• Environmental education

Environmental management system

Enhancing environmental coordination functions and building a carbon management system

Reflecting its belief that the environment is one of the top priorities in its management, Bridgestone formed the Strategic Environment Planning Department in 2010 to develop an environmental strategy that is more closely linked to the company's management strategy. The Department works closely with the eco-Activities Promotion Department to undertake activities to achieve environmental objectives.

We have also formed the Carbon Management Promotion Unit under the Strategic Environment Planning Department to orchestrate a Group-wide response to the issue of global warming as part of an effort to build a carbon management system capable of systematically reducing CO₂ emissions.

Global environmental management structures

The Bridgestone Group pursues a Group-wide environmental management program designed to balance the demands of business and the environment.

The Group's environmental coordination function (Global Management Platform: GMP) communicates policies and activity directions to individual SBUs, which then undertake environmental activities on an independent basis in accordance with those policies and directions. Environmental activities and environmental data from each SBU are shared and analyzed as part of the Group's PDCA ("plan," "do," "check," "act") cycle so that they drive improvements.

The Group has also developed TEAMS (Total Environmental Advanced Management System), an original environmental management system, for facilitating global environmental management structure.

TEAMS total environmental advanced management system

(1) Earning ISO 14001 certification for Group manufacturing companies in Japan and overseas

As of December 2010, 180 facilities* operated by Bridgestone Group manufacturing companies in Japan and overseas had earned ISO 14001 certification. We are also using the Group's proprietary ISO 14001-based plant production certification system to accelerate development of environmental management systems at newly constructed production facilities, and we plan for those sites to progressively earn ISO 14001 over time.

*The number of sites has decreased due to the consolidation and elimination of some of the certified facilities.

(2) Companywide integrated ISO 14001 certification at Bridgestone

Bridgestone earned companywide ISO 14001 integrated certification for its manufacturing plants, Head Office, and Technical Centers in December 2005 as part of an effort to pursue environmental activities in the context of its primary business.

(3) Adherence to Bridgestone Environmental Guidelines at Group sales companies in Japan

Bridgestone Group sales companies and certain distributors in Japan are involved in ISO 14001-compliant environmental activities based on the Bridgestone Group TEAMS Guidelines, which lay out the Group's approach to environmental activities along with specific programs, methods, and other related information.

Global environmental management structures

ISO 14001 certification at the Bridgestone Group

*The number of target facilities decreased by 16 from 2009 to 2010 due to consolidation, elimination, sale, and other changes.

*The number of certified facilities decreased by 1 from 2009 to 2010, reflecting the net effect of adding eight facilities that earned certification and eliminating nine sites due to consolidation, elimination, sale, and other changes.

Group Environmental Committee

Councils and subcommittees

Councils and subcommittees are formed to oversee the Group's response to individual environmental issues that the Group Environmental Committee determines should be addressed by Bridgestone Group companies. Corporate officers serve as coordinators for these councils and subcommittees, working with members to determine specific initiatives to fulfill objectives and track progress.

Group Environmental Secretariat

The eco-Activities Promotion Division serves to coordinate the Group's environment-related councils.

Group Environmental Committee organizational structure

Environmental Professional Meeting and Global Environmental Meeting

In addition to regional environmental officers from around the world, the Global Environmental Council invites Japanese personnel in charge of equipment development and production technologies to participate, facilitating lively discussions about objectives and approaches for specific environmental activities in the future. In this way, it helps forge agreement on the content of the Environmental Instructions that are issued and summarizes the results of those discussions. Participants at the Global Environmental Professional meeting held in March 2011 shared information about issues such as the further enhancement of environmental management, and a vision for carbon management and chemical substance management, as they discussed the Group's future approach.

In June 2010, Environmental Professional meetings were held in three Chinese regions for personnel representing a total of 19 facilities in China, and a Regional Environmental Staff Council meeting was held in Malaysia for personnel from 5 facilities. Additionally, a Global Environmental Staff Council meeting was held in September for regional environmental personnel from the United States, Europe, China, Indonesia, Turkey, South Africa, and other areas. Participants shared information about issues facing Group facilities and strengthened their internal partnerships.

Akira Matsuda
Director, eco-Activities Promotion Division
Bridgestone Corporation
Global Environmental Coordination Function

The Bridgestone Group recently refined its Environmental Mission Statement. As is suggested by the word "refine," this effort sought to further polish an asset that we have built up over time. Our commitment "to help ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations..." remains unchanged, but the refined document clarifies the long-term direction of environmental activities intended to help realize a sustainable society.

Behind this effort to refine the Statement is a desire to ensure all Group employees perform daily work responsibilities by balancing the demands of work and the environment based on an awareness of how each can contribute to the realization of a sustainable society - which is characterized by coexistence with nature (valuing biodiversity), valuing natural resources, and lowering CO₂ emissions. To direct these efforts, we incorporated these three characteristics of a sustainable society as the three slogans of "in harmony with nature," "value natural resources," and "reduce CO₂ emissions" into the Environmental Mission Statement, using phrasing that will be easy to understand for people worldwide with different languages and cultures. The refinement also clarified our concepts of "Together with Customers," "Together with Business Partners," "Together with Communities," and "Together with Employees" in order to focus the full resources of the Bridgestone Group throughout the world on addressing common issues.

We are pursuing environmental activities throughout the Group by anticipating the rapidly changing requirements imposed by society with regard to the environment and incorporating related objectives into each business unit's Mid-term management plan. We will continue to enhance activities conceived to balance the demands of business and the environment and realize a sustainable society while making use of TEAMS, the Bridgestone Group's proprietary environmental management system designed to allow each and every Group employee to pursue business activities with an awareness of the environment.

We look forward to pursuing activities in line with these three directions throughout the Group by taking advantage of the strengths of the Group, which operates facilities worldwide, in the domains of products and services, manufacturing, and community service in an effort to build the sustainable society described in the refined Environmental Mission Statement. At the same time, we will communicate information such as our approach to environmental activities and performance data to all stakeholders in an appropriate manner.

Gianluca Tosatti
Environmental Administrator, Europe SBU
Ass. Dept. Manager
European Regulations and Environmental Affairs
Bridgestone Technical Center Europe

In 2010, the response of industry to environmental issues in the EU, particularly prevention of climate change and chemical substance management, reached a critical phase. Looking at supply chain management from an environmental standpoint, 2010 was an important year for chemical manufacturers in setting the stage for future practices with the start of REACH regulation applications. Bridgestone Europe (BSEU) worked closely with suppliers to follow up and offer assistance in their effort to comply with the framework, and we verified that there are no business continuity issues with any of our business partners.

The Bridgestone Group's steadfast approach to environmental initiatives has been expressed in the clear objective of lowering CO₂ emissions throughout the product life cycle. As part of the Group, BSEU is working to achieve this goal as a way to address global warming in the context of its larger program of environmental activities.

At our tire plants, we have seen improvements in environmental performance metrics in areas such as resource conservation and reduction of water consumption even as operations continue to recover from last year's economic slowdown. Last December, BSEU's Technical Center in Italy earned certification under EN 16001, Europe's energy management system standard. In accordance with the standard, the Technical Center developed an energy policy and identified areas characterized by high consumption. The company is now working to lower greenhouse gas emissions by means of a project to streamline energy use and introduce renewable energy. These activities have been seamlessly linked to daily operational procedures at the Center.

BSEU has also carried on a sustained research and development effort to ensure its ability to play a leading role in Europe's tire labeling system, which will take effect in 2012. This system, which allows manufacturers' products to be graded based on the three performance indices of fuel efficiency, wet grip performance, and quietness, will put more information about tire safety and environmental performance in the hands of European consumers.

The Bridgestone Group's newly refined Environmental Mission Statement provides clear guidelines for establishing challenging new objectives in more appealing areas of activity concerning biodiversity, resource recycling, and the prevention of global warming, which have traditionally influenced Bridgestone's environmental activities. As part of the Group, BSEU is committed to making utmost efforts to enhance its environmental activities in order to help realize a society that exhibits the three characteristics embraced in the refined Environmental Mission Statement.

Timothy A. Bent
Environmental Administrator, Americas SBU
Director, Environmental Affairs
Bridgestone Americas Inc.

Bridgestone Americas Inc. (BSAM) continued pursuing environmental improvements through products and services, manufacturing, and community service in 2010.

BSAM's retail organization incorporates environmentally friendly design features into their new stores, based on learning from their LEED certified store in Smyrna Tennessee, the first of its kind.

The Ecopia EP422 and Dueler Ecopia EP422 were introduced at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show. Designed for use on a broad range of vehicle models, these new tires demonstrate that the environmental performance of virtually any vehicle can be improved through Bridgestone's innovative products. We also offered support to high-school students involved in developing the world's most fuel-efficient car. BSAM provided technical guidance, materials, and use of our proving ground (tire test course) in Texas. Their success caught the public's attention through a series of BSAM's strategic promotional activities, helping highlight the Ecopia family of products as well as Bridgestone's many other environmental improvement activities.

BSAM's manufacturing facilities reduced waste volume by 12% in 2010 compared to the previous year, and 30% compared to 2003. BSAM's recycle 100% of waste tires and used engine oil collected, as well as engine oil and other automotive recyclables from customers free of charge. The Bridgestone Americas Support Center in Nashville and Retail group headquarters in Bloomingdale, Illinois started up TEAMS (Total Environmental Advanced Management Systems), to improve environmental performance in their office spaces. BSAM's teammates supported several environmental education activities including cleanup projects, and wildlife habitat improvement projects. BSAM's retail group supported more than 19 regional tire collection events, where several thousand tires were collected for recycling.

BSAM received certification from the Wildlife Habitat Council for properties in Muscatine, Iowa, the Council's 11th wildlife habitat. Additionally, the Bridgestone Environmental Education Classroom & Habitat (BEECH) program at BSAM's Warren Plant, one of the most established programs of its kind, welcomed several thousand environmental education participants throughout the year.

I believe that the Bridgestone Group's 2011 refinement of the Environmental Mission Statement will enable us to communicate our goals and the direction of our activities more clearly to all stakeholders, and that doing so will improve understanding and relationships, helping expand our environmental improvement activities.

Developing global environmental infrastructure

In 2002, Bridgestone launched the Bridgestone Eco Network System for gathering and tabulating environmental performance data on a global scale. By using Eco Network System components such as an environmental information contact system, waste management system, and chemical substance management system to assess and analyze environmental data from facilities in Japan and overseas, we are able to improve activities at our facilities.

In 2010, we improved the chemical substance management system to allow the tabulation and searching of more detailed data, and we plan to further improve the system in 2011 so that we can manage the chemical composition of imported items (chemicals that are used as raw materials). Looking further into the future, we will expand these systems so that they can serve as tools for pursuing environmental activities throughout the Bridgestone Group.

Bridgestone Eco Network System

Environmental audits

In implementing TEAMS, the Bridgestone Group's environmental management system, we are striving to enhance environmental audit structures by thoroughly conducting system audits and performance audits that primarily target data results.

Each year, all Bridgestone departments conduct an internal audit in accordance with ISO 14001 requirements as well as undergo an outside audit. Furthermore, we are working systematically to train internal environmental auditors not only at plants, but also at non-manufacturing facilities such as the Head Office. By 2010, a total of 2,085 auditors had completed their training.

Training internal environmental auditors

Number of internal environmental auditors (cumulative)

Environmental education

Environmental education structures

• Message from CEO
• The Bridgestone Group's approach to CSR
• Initiatives Related to the 22 CSR Focus Points
• Feature
• Fundamental CSR activities
• Corporate Governance
• With customers
• With business partners
• With shareholders and investors
• CSR through environmental activities
  • Environmental Mission Statement
  • Environmental Management
  • Environmental communication
  • Contributing to the conservation of the environment through products and services
  • Contributing to the conservation of the environment throughout the supply chain (procurement, production, distribution, and sales)
  • Contributing to the environment through social activities
• With employee
• With society and communities
• Independent evaluation statement
• CSR Reports