Bridgestone Aiken Tire Plant the First American Tire Manufacturing Facility to Earn the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced its Aiken County Passenger/Light Truck Radial tire plant is the first tire manufacturing facility in America to earn the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS recognition for its transparency and traceability of sustainable raw materials including bio, bio-circular and circular-based material to replace synthetic rubber*, as the company’s continues its drive toward tires made from 100-percent sustainable materials by 2050.

“Step by step, we are working to overcome the technological and market barriers to fully sustainable and renewable tires made with bio-sourced and recycled materials,” said Nizar Trigui, Chief Technology Officer & Group President, Bridgestone Americas. “This ISCC PLUS certification for our Aiken County Plant is an important mile marker in our journey to become a leading sustainable solutions company.”

In 2021, Bridgestone announced the manufacturing process at the Aiken County facility would be directly powered by its first ground-based solar array. The facility is powered by approximately 8 acres of solar panels that generate enough electricity to power over 200 homes annually, while also reducing 1,400 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year.

The 2.78 million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Graniteville, South Carolina, employing over 1,740 Bridgestone teammates, began production of passenger and light truck radial tires in 1997.  Tires produced at this plant equip standard passenger vehicles and light trucks for original equipment and retail.

Sustainable practices in its manufacturing facilities is a critical element of Bridgestone’s 2050 sustainability commitments, including its aims to achieve carbon neutrality and tires made with 100% sustainable materials. Bridgestone Technical Center Europe SpA in Roma also recently earned an ISCC PLUS certification for Bio-Circular & Circular based materials. Bridgestone also continues to advance its leading initiative to diversify the world’s natural rubber supply by commercializing use of guayule-derived natural rubber in tires by 2030.

The ISSC PLUS certification of the Aiken County Passenger/Light Truck Radial tire plant supports the “Ecology” and “Energy” values of the Bridgestone E8 Commitment, which establishes eight values starting with the letter “E” to solidify Bridgestone’s commitment to a more sustainable world.

Source: Bridgestone