Yokohama Declares Commitment to Sustainable Procurement of Natural Rubber

Yokohama has announced that it would henceforth be procuring natural rubber from sustainable sources. The company went on to explain the initiatives that it is taking in this direction and would be liaising with its suppliers to ensure that this policy is being adhered to.

There has been a recent spurt in the demand for natural rubber and this has led to increase in concern about issues like exploitation of land, violations of human rights, unlawful deforestation, and adverse effects on biodiversity in the countries and regions which are known producers of natural rubber.

As part of its bid to alleviate this concern, Yokohama will be participating in the Sustainable Natural Rubber Initiative (SNR-i) which was launched by the International Rubber Study Group. The tire manufacturer is also a member of the Tyre Industry Project (TIP) which is led by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Currently, TIP is working on the development of a framework to ensure the sustainability of natural rubber.
The policy has been drawn up based on the contents of SNR-i and the key points made by the WBCSD’s TIP at the World Rubber Summit 2018 which was held in May. It outlines initiatives that companies like Yokohama and their suppliers have to take regarding factors like respect for respect for human and labor rights, traceability and environmental protection.

There are some measures that have to be taken specifically by the Yokohama Group, like sharing the knowhow that the group has accumulated through the Yokohama Forever Forest Project with third parties so that the members of the group’s supply chain can fulfill the policy’s requests for their cooperation.

The company will be publicly sharing the status of initiatives being undertaken under the policy on its websites, including the CSR website.

In the future, Yokohama will work with all members of the supply chain to promote activities that align with its Procurement Policy for the Sustainable Natural Rubber and will further enhance the promotion of CSR activities across the value chain. This has been designated as one of the important goals of the group’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.