BKT Says Social Responsibility Integral Part of Business Model

BKT, a leading player in the Off-Highway tire segment has said that social responsibility is an integral part of the company’s business model and has been so right from the establishment of the company. Sustainability is another cornerstone of the company’s business model and BKT has focused on minimizing waste and pollution, increasing energy efficiency and reducing the environmental impact of the production process.

Commenting on this the company’s Chairman and Managing Director, Arvind Poddar said, “If the BKT values represent the rich heritage of our traditions, today’s challenge is that of preserving continuity and transforming them into a lifestyle.” He went on to add that the company’s mission is to stick to this model within the organization, and to create an environment where the primary values focus on the common good.

This commitment of the company towards sustainability and the common good was reflected in the latest production facility that BKT set up in Bhuj in December 2015. The facility, which cost 500 million US dollars puts people first and is a state-of-the art factory with housing facilities for employees and their families, a hospital, a school, a fire station, a guest house and a large recreation center, all of which provide free services for BKT employees.

BKT has also set up the BKT Foundation which extends support to many projects and initiatives that assist people in need. In the healthcare sector, BKT has donated technologically advanced equipment for the treatment of cardiac and respiratory diseases to a hospital in Mumbai and set up a surgical intensive care unit at a hospital in Aurangabad. Educational initiatives include a program to provide free education for 800 girls in a school in Rajasthan, near the BKT factories in Bhiwadi and Chopanki, and sponsoring tertiary education for academically brilliant Indian students at renowned universities, both in India and overseas. The BKT Foundation extends support to the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which works alongside the Indian Government to provide education to financially disadvantaged children, and encourages children to continue school by implementing a school meal program that provides lunch to over 1.4 million children spread over 10,000 schools in ten Indian States.

The company’s values are also reflected in the inpidual involvement of its employees in sensitizing initiatives like the Mumbai Marathon which is held every year to raise funds for charity and blood donation campaigns.

At the FIMA trade fair in Zaragoza, Spain, 10,000 footballs were distributed to visitors, in collaboration with the partner San Jose. For every football that was given away, one euro went to ASPANOA, a Spanish association that helps families with children suffering from cancer.

Ms. Lucia Salmaso, AD of BKT Europe said, that BKT firmly intends play an active role in improving the living conditions of all people while focusing on sustainability to minimize the impact of the manufacturing process.

She added, “A mindset that starts in the production processes with low environmental impact, goes through the working community and the civil society, and finally becomes manifest in the actual support of humanitarian activities. A noble conduct with the ambitious objective to point the way for other companies operating at any level and in any market. This is the only way we can think of our future and that of the next generations.”

When it comes to sustainability, BKT is fully compliant with environmental regulations such as the European Directive “REACH”, which has been adopted by the chemical industry to protect public health and the environment. The company has obtained the ISO 9001:2000 certifications for its Quality Management System and is ISO 14001:2004 certified for the implementation of an effective Environmental Management System. BKT has also received the National Energy Conservation award from the Indian Government for three consecutive years as an acknowledgment of its efforts to manage natural resources in a sustainable manner.