Bridgestone
Elevates Standards in Sustainable Procurement Practices; Launches New Policy
for Suppliers and Partners
Bridgestone Corporation (Bridgestone), the
world’s largest tire and rubber company, today announced a new Global
Sustainable Procurement Policy to help identify and evaluate qualified
suppliers, promote best practices, and serve as a communication and improvement
tool for the industry. The policy reflects a company commitment to procurement
programming that drives action to realize long-term environmental, social and
economic benefits. The policy is applicable to all purchased materials and
services, as well as all suppliers globally.
“Our
new policy is a critical step in realizing the Bridgestone Group’s global
corporate social responsibility commitment, “Our Way to Serve,” which provides
a framework for how we do business, develop products, and interact with
customers and communities,” said Masaaki Tsuya, CEO and Representative
Executive Officer, Bridgestone Corporation. “We recognize our ability and
responsibility to drive change and improvements in the ways that industry
interacts with the environment and communities around the world. We expect our
suppliers and partners to work with us in pursuit of sustainable supply chains,
efforts which are never-ending and which require collaborations with all
industry players, including communicating with the various audiences in order
to generate broader public awareness.”
Guided
by Bridgestone’s “Our Way to Serve,” the new policy aligns with Bridgestone’s
goal of using “100% sustainable materials*” in our products as the long-term
vision by 2050 and beyond. It combines previous company guidelines into a
single document that sets minimum requirements to conduct business with
Bridgestone, as well as preferred practices that can contribute to faster
realization of sustainable supply chains. As a large user of natural rubber,
the policy describes Bridgestone’s expectations with respect to critical issues
within the complex global natural rubber supply chain. An extensive document,
the policy addresses four major areas of focus:
·
Transparency – including traceability
and good governance;
·
Compliance – adhering to laws
and regulations in the countries and regions in which Bridgestone conducts
business;
·
Quality, Cost and
Delivery (QCD) & Innovation – ensuring high quality materials and
services are delivered on time and at reasonable costs, while also pursuing
innovative technologies that support improvements across global communities;
·
Sustainable
Procurement Practices – incorporating
environmentally responsible procurement, such as compliance with environmental
laws and regulations, respect for human rights, water use, land use and
conservation, health, safety, disaster prevention and resilience.
During
the development of the final policy, Bridgestone gained insights from external
stakeholders, including international consultants, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), materials suppliers, natural rubber farmers, and key
customers to ensure the policy is thorough, reflects industry standards and
best practices, and is supported by an effective implementation and
communication plan.
Available
in 12 languages, the policy will be implemented, governed and enforced
regionally. As an immediate first step, Bridgestone will prioritize working
closely with its employees, suppliers and customers and other industry experts
to implement the policy. Over the next 18 months, Bridgestone will work with
its suppliers and partners to ensure that they have received the policy and
understand it. Following acknowledgment of the policy, suppliers will then
receive a self-assessment questionnaire. Bridgestone is currently developing an
additional supplier assessment for the traceability of natural rubber and will
be working to partner with the industry and other qualified experts to help
support ongoing monitoring of supplier compliance.
Bridgestone
is committed to working with additional external stakeholders, including
universities, industry associations and NGOs, to continually review feedback
which will be valuable for subsequent enhancements and revisions to the policy.
To
learn more about the Global Sustainable Procurement Policy and Bridgestone’s
CSR commitments:
- Visit
Bridgestone’s Global Sustainable
Procurement web page for more detail and to access the policy
- Visit
Bridgestone’s “Our
Way to Serve” special web page and CSR
web page for
general information
- Read
Bridgestone’s 2016
Sustainability Report for more detail
on sustainability activities
- Bridgestone’s
recent achievements in sustainability awards and ratings “the
Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World)”.
*The Bridgestone Group defines sustainable materials as materials that “1)
that come from resources with a guaranteed continual supply, 2) that can be
used as part of our business over the long-term, and 3) that have a low
environmental and social impact over the lifecycle from procurement to
disposal.”
About Bridgestone Corporation:
Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in
Tokyo, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for
use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of
diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and
sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories
around the world.
In the Asia Pacific
region, Bridgestone locates its regional headquarters in Singapore, overseeing
the operations of tire production and sales facilities, as well as supplying
its products across more than 25 countries in the region. Bridgestone Asia
Pacific plays a key role in facilitating this large and growing market as it
contributes significantly to the entire Bridgestone Group.
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