The Environment

Biodiversity

KPI Responsible Departments Our position and Targets Review of FY 2022 Activities Introduction of Initiatives Future challenges

KPI

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Item	FY 2021 results	FY 2022 results
Implementation rate of biodiversity conservation activities for ecosystems near production facilities	(Consolidated) 50% (13 domestic business locations, and 9 overseas locations)	(Consolidated) 50% (12 domestic business locations, and 9 overseas locations)
Biodiversity in each area, and impact	Yokohama Tire Retread Co., Ltd. (YTRH) Vicinity of Lake Utonai	Yokohama Tire Retread Co., Ltd. (YTRH) Vicinity of Lake Utonai
Habitats being safeguarded or restored	Satoyama (traditional community-managed forest) conservation in Toyooka Village, Nagano Prefecture; Satoyama conservation in Tsuchiya district, Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture; conservation of Caretta caretta (Loggerhead turtle) egg-laying sites along the Ominato Coast in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, and conservation of breeding grounds of Sialia sialis (Eastern bluebird) at Virginia Plant	Satoyama (traditional community-managed forest) conservation in Toyooka Village, Nagano Prefecture; Satoyama conservation in Tsuchiya district, Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture; conservation of Caretta caretta (Loggerhead turtle) egg-laying sites along the Ominato Coast in Ise City, Mie Prefecture, and conservation of breeding grounds of Sialia sialis (Eastern bluebird) at Virginia Plant
Total number of species included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species or in Japan’s domestic list of species requiring special conservation efforts <Categories of threatened species> ・Critically endangered (CR) ・Endangered (EN) ・Vulnerable (VU) ・Non-threatened (NT) ・Least concern	Rivers receiving wastewater CR+EN: One species: Anguilla japonica (Japanese eel) (Kaname River, Hinokijiri River) VU: Two species: Oryzias latipes (Japanese rice fish) (each river) and Liobagrus reinii (Torrent catfish) (Tenryu River) NT: Five species: Veronica undulata (Kaname River), Diplonychus japonicus (Ferocious water bug) (Sonobe River), Cottus pollux (Japanese fluvial sculpins) (Kuroda River), Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Black-spotted Pond Frog) (Tenryu River), Mauremys japonica (Japanese pond turtle) (Goten River) On premises of plants and satoyama VU: One species: Cephalanthera falcata NT: Four species: Sasakia charonda (Great purple emperor), Psilotum nudum (Whisk fern), Calanthe discolor, Cynops pyrrhogaster (Japanese fire belly newt) Least concern: One species: Vanellus cinereus (Grey-headed lapwing) Beaches near to where wastewater flows out EN: One species: Caretta caretta (Loggerhead turtle) (Ominato coast)	Rivers receiving wastewater CR+EN: One species: Anguilla japonica (Japanese eel) (Kaname River, Hinokijiri River) VU: One species: Oryzias latipes (Japanese rice fish) (each river) NT: Five species: Veronica undulata (Kaname River), Diplonychus japonicus (Ferocious water bug) (Sonobe River), Cottus pollux (Japanese fluvial sculpins) (Kuroda River), Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Black-spotted Pond Frog) (Tenryu River), Mauremys japonica (Japanese pond turtle) (Goten River) On premises of plants and satoyama VU: Two species: Cephalanthera falcate and Butastur indicus NT: Four species: Sasakia charonda (Great purple emperor), Psilotum nudum (Whisk fern), Calanthe discolor, Cynops pyrrhogaster (Japanese fire belly newt) Least concern: One species: Vanellus cinereus (Grey-headed lapwing) Beaches near to where wastewater flows out EN: One species: Caretta caretta (Loggerhead turtle) (Ominato coast)

Responsible Departments

Each business location

Activities are conducted by each office, with the Biodiversity Committee (which the Environmental Protection Promotion Department serves as a secretariat for) implementing company-wide policy discussions and activities.

Our position and Targets

Why is “Biodiversity” a critical issue to be addressed?
Explanation of the reason and background

Our Company is engaged in business that is dependent on resources available from nature (blessings of nature) including natural rubber. In addition, many production plants use large amounts of water in production processes, emitting heat and carbon dioxide. The very existence of our operation sites can disturb and break apart the local ecosystem through land modifications, as well as variation in microclimate. We recognize that negative effects on the natural environment caused by these kinds of business activities are not unrelated to the loss of biodiversity currently advancing on a global scale.
To address these issues, Yokohama Rubber Group established its Biodiversity Guideline in 2010, and has been working on the conservation of biodiversity through its value chain locations. For years, we have been running the Yokohama Forever Forest Program to plant trees and to provide saplings in areas around our production sites. We also perform various biodiversity conservation activities to ensure that the plants and animals living in our production site premises has positive effect on the surrounding regional ecosystem. In January 2023, we joined the "30by30 Alliance for Biodiversity," a coalition of companies and other organizations directing all-Japan efforts to achieve "30by30," an international goal of conserving and protecting more than 30% of land and sea by 2030 toward the goal of nature positive. In the same month, we endorsed the philosophy of the Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (hereinafter referred to as TNFD) and participated in the "TNFD Forum," an international stakeholder organization that supports the establishment of a framework for the disclosure of nature-related financial information, as well as in "Keidanren Initiative for Biodiversity Conservation."
In December 2023, the Biodiversity Guideline was revised to reflect national and international trends.

Yokohama Rubber Group Biodiversity Guideline

The Yokohama Rubber Group revised its Biodiversity Guideline in December 2023, based on the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework at the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in December 2022, and the Japanese Government's Cabinet decision on the National Biodiversity Strategy 2023-2030 in March 2023. We will continue to work for the conservation, restoration and rehabilitation of biodiversity throughout the value chain.

<Basic Policy>

Yokohama Rubber Group’s businesses depend on the blessings of nature (ecosystem services) and they impact biodiversity at the same time. To achieve a “world living in harmony with nature”, based on this recognition, Yokohama Rubber Group complies with global goals, initiatives, and regulations such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and reduces negative impacts on biodiversity throughout its entire business and promotes the restoration/regeneration of nature to contribute to a nature positive world.

<Action Guidelines>

Recognize the issue of biodiversity as a business challenge and continually monitor the sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity conservation.
Yokohama Rubber Group recognizes the issue of biodiversity as a business challenge and promotes sustainable use of natural resources and biodiversity conservation. Furthermore, we regularly assess risks and opportunities related to nature and build a system in which management monitors them.
Understand the relationship between business and impacts on biodiversity and its dependency on nature by scientific approaches.
We strive to understand the relationship between our business and impacts on biodiversity and its dependency on nature in relevant locations throughout the entire value chain from the procurement of raw materials to disposal of products by scientific approaches. We identify business activities that greatly impact biodiversity, set goals, and conduct continuous monitoring.
Reduce negative impacts caused by our business activities, while increasing positive impacts.
We strive to avoid/reduce negative impacts on biodiversity caused by our business activities such as land use, resources use including natural rubber and water, climate change, pollution, and alien species accompanied by our business activities, and restore/regenerate nature to increase positive impacts, thereby contributing to biodiversity conservation.
Promote the sustainable use of natural resources throughout the entire value chain through technological innovation.
In addition to the negative impacts in the production phase such as use of resources, we also aim to suppress negative impacts caused downstream of the value chain including the disposal phase, and promote innovative technological development to promote sustainable use of resources.
Have the integrated perspective to solve social issues including biodiversity and climate change.
We promote solutions that are effective for eliminating the trade-off relationship of biodiversity and climate change and increasing the effects of activities at the same time. We also act from an integrated perspective to solve social issues such as human rights, labor issue, and poverty. We give particular consideration to the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities, and to gender equity.
Promote biodiversity conservation in collaboration with suppliers to increase sustainability of natural resources.
Our business uses various natural resources such as natural rubber and water. We strive to promote conservation of such resources and ensure traceability in collaboration with suppliers including farmers to increase the sustainability of natural resources throughout the supply chain.
Support employees so they can contribute to biodiversity conservation.
We support employees in biodiversity conservation in the course of their work as well as in local communities through raising their awareness of biodiversity and behavior change leading to practice.
Build a trust relationship through communication and collaboration with stakeholders to increase the effectiveness of initiatives.
We build a trust relationship with various stakeholders such as national agencies and municipalities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research/educational institutes, and local communities and strive to improve initiatives and enhance capabilities to increase the effectiveness of our initiatives.
Actively disclose information on a regular basis about efforts for biodiversity conservation in accordance with these policies.
We actively disclose information about our efforts related to biodiversity in accordance with these policies by making use of various opportunities on a regular basis to gain understanding of internal and external stakeholders to promote sustainable management.

Vision and targets
Short-term and medium-term goals

1.Sustainable Natural Rubber Procurement

Item	Targets	Achieved year	Progress in FY2022
Number of natural rubber plantations surveyed	Cumulative total of 500	FY2023	Total 437 units (Cumulative total of 500 units achieved in February 2023)
Percentage of natural rubber suppliers surveyed（Tier1）	100%	FY2023	85% (relative to supply)
Implemented grievance mechanisms	Completed	FY2023	Completed

2.Promoting Agroforestry（※）

Item	Targets	Achieved year	Progress in FY2022
Number of saplings provided to natural rubber plantations for agroforestry	Cumulative total of 130,000 trees	FY2030	Cumulative total of 53,000 trees
Number of farmers introducing agroforestry	Cumulative total of 170	FY2030	Cumulative total of 63 units

Agroforestry is a term created from the words agriculture and forestry, and refers to the grazing of livestock and cultivation of crops between planting trees. Yokohama Rubber is promoting agroforestry in natural rubber plantations.

3.Yokohama Forever Forest Programs

Item	Targets	Achieved year	Progress in FY2022
Number of trees planted and saplings provided	Cumulative total of 1.3 million trees	FY2030	Cumulative total of 1.2 Million trees

Yokohama Rubber's business activities depend on ecosystem services generated from natural capital such as forests, soil, water, air, and biological resources, including natural rubber. We recognize that management that takes natural capital into consideration and biodiversity conservation are important issues for sustainable business activities.
Yokohama Rubber is committed to the realization of a society that coexists in harmony with nature through its business activities.
In the preservation of biodiversity, we evaluate the impact that our business activities have on the natural environment and upon ecosystems, and then implement conservation activities in order that this impact can be further mitigated. Additionally, we aim for harmony with nature and the development of employees with an awareness of the environment.
YOKOHAMA Forever Forest project achieved its goal to plant 500,000 seedlings in both our domestic and overseas production sites and related department sites in September 2017. Going forward, the project is working toward the new target of planting 1.3 million trees by 2030 through afforestation at production sites and related department sites and the provision of seedlings to communities.

<Overview of Yokohama Rubber’s Activities to Conserve Biological Diversity>

Measures for vision achievement

Among all our business activities, we think that our dependence on biodiversity and business risks are especially high in the raw material procurement stage and the production stage.
In the raw material procurement stage, natural rubber procurement is considered to have the highest biodiversity impact, while in the production stage, land use and water intake and discharge by our production sites have the highest biodiversity impact. Our production sites are located in widely varying conditions in terms of geography, history, and culture. Since ecosystems surrounding these sites also differ, we believe it is necessary to accurately understand the biodiversity situation surrounding each site and we deploy our biodiversity activities in stages. After gaining a general picture of the site location, including what bodies of water and vegetation exist in the area, whether any nature reserves are nearby and whether it is close to residential areas and other factories, we conduct surveys on the water quality of rivers that could be possibly affected by our production activities, and monitor living organisms that are found in the areas surrounding the production site. In particular, we select a number of specific living creatures for continual monitoring targets. Through continuing such monitoring throughout the year, we assess the impact of our business activities, determine which organisms require conservation practice and conduct such conservation activities, and disclose the findings.
As part of water quality surveys, we measure the water temperature, electrical conductivity, pH, etc. For the monitoring of living organisms, we conduct bird-watching, vegetation survey, insect and also observe aquatic organisms.

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	Business location	Location	Water quality^*	Aquatic life	Vegetation	Wild birds	Insect	Other
In Japan	Mie Plant	Within premises	○	○	○	○	○
	Mie Plant	Outside premises	○	○	○	○	○	Loggerhead turtle
	Mishima Plant	Outside premises	○	○		○
	Shinshiro Plant	Within premises	○	○		○		Increasing Semisulcospira libertina
	Shinshiro Plant	Outside premises	○	○				Amphibians
	Onomichi Plant	Within premises			○	○	○
	Onomichi Plant	Outside premises	○	○	○	○
	Hiratsuka Factory	Within premises	○	○	○	○	○
	Hiratsuka Factory	Outside premises	○	○	○	○	○
	Ibaraki Plant	Within premises	○		○	○	○	Creating an environment for Grey-faced buzzard (Amphibians, Reptiles)
	Ibaraki Plant	Outside premises	○	○	○	○
	Nagano Plant	Outside premises	○	○	○	○
	Yokohama Tire Retread Hokkaido Plant	Outside premises	○	○	○	○	○
	Yokohama Tire Retread Nagoya Plant	Outside premises	○	○	○	○	○	Biotope
	Yokohama Tire Retread Onomichi Plant	Outside premises	○	○	○	○	○
	Yokohama Mold	Outside premises	○	○	○	○
Overseas	YTMT (Thailand)	Within premises	○			○	○
	YTRC (Thailand)	Within premises	○	○		○
	Y-CH (China)	Outside premises						Laojunshan Project
	CHZY (China)	Within premises			○	○	○
	CHZY (China)	Outside premises	○	○	○	○	○
	CSZY (China)	Within premises			○	○	○
	YTPI (Philippines)	Within premises			○	○	○
	YTPI (Philippines)	Outside premises			○	○	○	Watershed conservation
	YTMV (United States)	Within premises			○	○		Mammals
	YTVI (Vietnam)	Outside premises			○

Presence or absence of biodiversity activities

Yokohama Forever Forest Program

A cumulative total of 699,000 trees had been planted in the Program by the end of 2022. The Total number of saplings to had been planted and provided in the program reached 1,198,000. This marked an 92% achievement rate for the target of planting and providing 1.3 million trees by 2030. In order to assess the growth and environmental impact of our Forever Forests, we conduct surveys on the tree growth (measurement of tree heights and chest-height diameters) and wild birds observed within plant premises. From the result of surveys on the growth amount of saplings, we have calculated the amount of carbon dioxide absorbed and fixed by all the trees planted in the Forever Forest Program. We estimated found that the entire our Forever Forests had absorbed 1,649 tons of CO₂ by the end of 2022.
In wild bird surveys at the Hiratsuka Factory, 61 species of wild birds have been observed on the plant premises to date. From In the third year of our tree planting initiative, we began to see Turdus chrysolaus (red-bellied thrushes) that have a preference for forests. We believe this reflects how the Forever Forest is functioning as it should as a forest for wild birds. We also observed Phylloscopus coronatus (eastern crowned warblers) and Acrocephalus orientalis (oriental great reed warblers), which are normally seen near bodies of water) were observed, which seems to show that our Forever Forest is serving also as a stopping point for migrating wild birds during their travel. Furthermore, it has been observed that the forest is used by Zosterops japonicus (warbling white-eyes) and other various wild birds to build nests and raise their children, suggesting that the forest contributes to the breeding of wild birds as well.

From April 2023, we have resumed the participation of "Komatan" , a group with a high specialty in birding and watch birds together.

Review of FY 2022 Activities

Various initiatives underway to make natural rubber a sustainable resource

Yokohama Rubber announced the "Sustainable Natural Rubber Procurement Policy" in October 2018, which is an undertaking to make natural rubber a sustainable resource. We also joined the international platform Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR) as a founding member and began taking action as part of the platform. Furthermore, we revised our procurement policy in September 2021 to incorporate GPSNR's policy framework into our procurement policy, clarifying our intention to achieve the sustainability of natural rubber at a higher level. In 2019, Yokohama Rubber started a survey on rubber farms in the Surat Thani province of Thailand, visiting 437 farms by the end of December 2022. So far, we have not found any human rights violations or illegal deforestation; however, through the survey, we have learned about problems faced by farmers and issues we need to work on. We continued the survey and reached our target of covering 500 households by the end of February 2023. Not only the information we have gained through the survey, but also the communication and partnership we have developed with the local farmers through the survey activities have proved to be highly valuable. We are planning to continue these survey activities on an ongoing basis.
In January 2020, Yokohama rubber signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT) to collaboratively support the management of natural rubber farmers and improve traceability in order to ensure the transparency and soundness of the supply chain.
Under the MOU, seminar events for natural rubber farmers have been held since December 2020. To date, five such events have been held, attended by a total of 250 farmers, and a total of 75 tons of fertilizer utilizing RAOT's findings has been provided free of charge.

Communication with communities

The biodiversity panel discussion held as one of the programs presented in the open-house event "Think Eco Hiratsuka" held by the Hiratsuka Factory has been presented on-line since 2020. In March 2023, Dr. Shinichi Takagawa, General Manager of the OECM Task Force Office of the Nature Conservation Society of Japan delivered a keynote lecture under the theme of "Our Conservation Activities to Contribute to Global Goals: Making Use of OECM," which was followed by the introduction of the activities by our Ibaraki Plant aiming at becoming a plant that can serve as a habitat for Butastur indicus (grey-faced buzzard), where participants enjoyed deep-dive discussions into the topics. The event was attended by many people including our employees from productions sites of both Yokohama Rubber and its Group companies, people from relevant administrative organizations, local residents and people from environmental non-profit organization.

Employee education

We are working on biodiversity conservation through our business activities, and in order to ensure that all employees are aware of the blessings of biodiversity and act accordingly, we are working to spread awareness of biodiversity among employees through human resources development. One of the mandatory training courses for young employees covers biodiversity. In FY2022, it was conducted online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction of Initiatives

Hiratsuka Factory

Since FY2013, the Hiratsuka Factory has been engaged in biodiversity conservation activities aimed at protecting the water resources of the Kaname River system that flows through the region. Our employees have participated in hands-on monitoring activities conducted in the lower reach of the Kaname River, in which a total of 346 employees took part. In conjunction with the monitoring, we carried out activities of uprooting alien plants, such as Ambrosia trifida (giant ragweeds), Sicyos angulatus (burr cucumbers), etc. As a result of the activities, we could decrease non-native plants; however, there arose an issue over the effectiveness of the conservation activities, that is, we could not clearly answer the question of "whether the decrease in alien plants actually led to the protection of biodiversity." As the result of the reviews, we determined to suspend the conservation activities in the lower reach of the Kaname River.
Currently, we are continuing activities in a satoyama area in a city located upstream of the Kaname River. Specifically, we have been engaged in conservation activities, including the installation of handmade biotopes in croplands in valleys and the regeneration of abandoned cedar forests in valleys since 2015 with the aim of water source cultivation of the Kaname River and restoring the original landscape of the satoyama. We have also started to collaborate with people from the local university to conduct a survey on changes in the brightness level caused by the thinning of ceder trees. We zoned the area in the valleys with this environment into several plots, and decided on target species, the content of activities, and the target image, so that we can understand the effects and goals of the activities. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of other reasons, we suspended the activity during FY2022.
Responding to a call from the Kaname River Basin System Network, we have engaged in river cleaning with the local government and groups in March every year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and a number of other reasons, we suspended the activity during FY2022.

Forest floor change in cedar forest and seedlings of deciduous tree

Trail camera set up in the forest

A Japanese raccoon appeared in the survey area

In May 2017, we manually made a “dragonfly pond” within the premises, and began activities allowing us to feel a close connection to living creatures through observing dragonflies, butterflies, frogs etc. gathering at the pond.
In March 2017, the Hiratsuka Factory obtained the "Association for Business Innovation in Harmony with Nature and Community® (ABINC) certification" as a factory showing consideration for biodiversity. The factory was acknowledged for their activities to conserve biological diversity and ongoing surveys on the amount of CO₂ absorbed and fixed by the growing trees of the Forever Forest planted in and around the business site in 2007. The factory still keeps having the certification updated.

ABINC certification

We also have joined the "Hiratsuka Biodiversity Promotion Council," a biodiversity initiative promoted by Hiratsuka City, expanding activities for ecosystem conservation in Hiratsuka.
In addition, we display panels at "Sagami Nature Forum" hosted by the Nature Conservation Society of Kanagawa in February every year. At the "Hiratsuka Environmental Fair" hosted by Hiratsuka City every July, we show images from our biodiversity activities around the Hiratsuka Factory.

Sagami Nature Forum

Hiratsuka Environmental Fair

Mie Plant

Biodiversity conservation activities have been continuously carried out by the following three teams:

Black Team: Conducting surveys on water quality and aquatic organisms such as Oryzias latipes (Japanese ricefish) in the rivers (Hinokijiri River and Hotosu River) into which drainage water is discharged from the plant
Noppo Team: Removing invasive alien species and measuring the number of native plants, and conducting surveys on Caretta caretta (loggerhead sea turtles) laying eggs on the coast (Ominato Coast) to which the water of the rivers flow down
Chibikko Team: Creating a biotope in and around the plant's rainwater regulation pond, conducting surveys on water quality, and living creatures such as dragonflies, and aquatic organisms

After Ise Municipal Minato Elementary School was opened, we resumed on-dispatch classes in 2021. We presented a picture-story show to explain the meaning of tree planting and hosting an event to remove the invasive species of Oenothera laciniata (cutleaf evening primroses), and conducted beach cleanup activities with children responding to a request from the school.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we could not organize tree-planting and biodiversity conservation activities that we have been implementing every year; however, we restarted to provide environmental educational programs by inviting elementary students to the factory in 2023.
In March 2022, our Mie Plant obtained the "Association for Business Innovation in Harmony with Nature and Community® certification (ABINC certification)" as a factory showing consideration for biodiversity.

Aquatic life survey at Hinokijiri River

Root cutting of alien plants and coastal cleaning on the Ominato coast

Biotope restoration activities for biodiversity conservation activities inviting elementary school students

Mishima Plant

The Mishima Plant is blessed with abundant water resources, with an agricultural waterway using springwater from Shirataki Park in front of Mishima Station running on the east side of the factory and the Goten River, a first-class river, into which drainage water is discharged from the factory, flowing on the west side. Working in three teams nicknamed "Loaches", "Soft-shell Turtles" and "Eels", factory employees conduct surveys on the water quality of Goten River and organisms living and around the river since 2013.
The Goten River serves as a nesting place for insects such as dragonfly larvae of Macromia amphigena (koyama dragonflies) and Calopteryx atrata (haguro dragonflies), fish such as Opsariichthys platypus (freshwater minnows), Nipponocypris temminckii (dark chubs) and Amur catfish, and reptiles such as Pelodiscuc sinensis (soft-shell turtles) and Trachemys scripta elegans (red-eared turtles). As a rare case for a factory surrounded by residential buildings, the Mishima factory serves as a nesting place for Alcedo atthis (common kingfishers), the symbol bird of Mishima City. However, since we found a lot of garbage dumped into the river, we have been cleaning the river after monitoring in order to contribute even in small ways to keeping the Goten River clean and beautiful. In May 2019, the Numazu Civil Engineering Office of Shizuoka Prefecture, the Mishima city government and our Mishima Plant signed a "River Friendship Agreement," and since then, we have been collaboratively engaged in river improvement work with people from the Numazu Civil Engineering Office using the "stream barbs construction method." As a result of the continuous activities, we were able to confirm that creatures that had almost disappeared after river dredging began to return again.
We also found Ranunculus nipponicus var. japonicus (Japanese water-crowfoots) and Psilotum nudum (whisk ferns), which are on Shizuoka Prefecture's Red List of Vulnerable Creatures and were not used to be seen in the downstream side from the plant in the Goten River. In the future, we would like to invite local residents to join these activities. Dealing with an increase in natural disasters and heavy rainfalls, we have been continuing the activities to the extent possible.

Construction of "barbed construction" in collaboration with river jurisdiction

Team activities

Catfish, soft-shelled turtles, and red-eared slider turtles observed plant drainage outlet

The endangered species II species, Ranunculus nipponicus var. japonicus, Psilotum nudum discovered downstream of plant drainage outlet

Shinshiro Plant

FY2022: The Shinshiro Plant conducted biodiversity conservation activities as part of the factory's risk management work. The activities included surveys on the water quality of the Noda River and the Kuroda River, which have a direct impact on the local environment, and monitoring of creatures. We also conducted conservation activities at Yotsuya senmaida (terraced rice paddies in Yotsuya) serving as one of the water source areas of the Toyokawa River for water source cultivation as an activity to contribute to conserving the local environment. A total of 75 people in three teams working at three areas, Yotsuya senmaida, the Noda River and the Kuroda River, and the factory biotope, to advance conservation activities suitable to the local ecosystem.
As the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic finally subsided, we gradually increased the number of participants, and started the Nodagawa Firefly Project, a new activity to conduct in collaboration with local people, in addition to regular activities, such as surveys on water quality and monitoring of creatures.
In addition to creating a waterside biotope and integrally developing a woodland and grassy areas within the plant premises, we have worked on the creation of a "Forever Forest" and engaged in monitoring activities in collaboration with local people, neighboring companies and groups. In February 2022, the Shinshiro Plant, in recognition of these efforts, obtained the Association for Business Innovation in Harmony with Nature and Community® certification (ABINC certification). In November of the same year, the Shinshiro Plant also obtained the blue-chip company certification of the "Aichi Biodiversity Company Certification Program", which was established by Aichi Prefecture to certify companies making excellent efforts for the conservation of biodiversity.

Association for Business Innovation in Harmony with Nature and Community® certification (ABINC certification)

Aichi Biodiversity Company Certification

<Water source area in Yotsuya senmaida, Shinshiro City>
This area has been served a water source for the industrial cooling water. We worked to secure a habitat for biological communities, help maintain clear streams and near threatened species, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, and support a desirable ecological habitat in the senmaida.

Conservation activities at Yotsuya Senmaida

Monitoring of creatures and Cynops pyrrhogaster (Japanese fire belly newt)

<Noda River and Kuroda River: Water quality and aquatic life monitoring survey>
We confirmed that drainage water discharged from the Shinshiro Plant and Shinshiro-Minami Plant does not adversely affect water quality and aquatic life in the local rivers, and carried out activities to maintain and sustain this status.

Monitoring of living creatures in the Noda River, and identified Eriocheir japonica (Japanese Mitten crab), shrimps living in fresh water and Nipponocypris temminckii

Water quality and aquatic life monitoring survey in the Kuroda River

＜Biotope in the plant＞
The Shinshiro Plant takes cooling water used in the plant from the nearby Noda River and discharge used water into the Noda River. Since 2010, we have been observing living creatures at the biotope in order to demonstrate that it is possible to create an environment where living creatures can live even with plant effluent by introducing effluent water to the biotope inside the plant. We also conduct maintenance and restoration work around the biotope every year.

Dragonfly larva and Near-threatened Rana ornativentris discovered in the factory biotope

Biotope restoration

＜Nodagawa Firefly Project＞
Responding to residents in the neighborhood saying there used to be a lot of fireflies in the past, we launched a five-year plan called "Nodagawa Firefly Project" aiming at the returning of fireflies as one of the pillars for the environmental conservation of the Noda River used by the plant for water intake and water discharge.

Collaborative aquatic life survey with fourth graders

Releasing Semisulcospira libertina that serves as food for firefly larvae

Cabbage farm for fireflies

Uprooting of alien plants on plant premises

Pulled out tall goldenrod

15 employees from the Shinshiro Plant supported and participated in a bus tour to experience tree-planting for transforming areas cleared of cedar and cypress trees into satoyama (village forest) organized by the Shinshiro Shitara Ecosystem Network Council. We provided a total of 490 saplings of deciduous broad-leaved trees, including Quercus variabilis (oriental oak), Quercus serrata (konara oak), Cerasus jamasakura (yamazakura cherry), which are local native tree species, and helped the participants with tree planting.

Tree planting experience bus tour (Misono, Toei-cho, Kitashitara-gun, Aichi Prefecture)

Since in the Misono district, Sasakia charonda (great purple emperor butterflies), Japan's national butterflies, has been observed, we plant locally collected Celtis sinensis (Chinese hackberry) to feed larvae to protect and breed the butterflies. We also collaborate with the local NPO Misono Yume Mura Okoshitai to grow and plant a lot of saplings of Celtis biondii Pump, that is listed in the Endangered species (EN) of Aichi Prefecture, to protect and preserve this precious species.

Giant purple emperor butterfly found in Misono district

Aichi prefecture endangered species Celtis biondii Pampan

Onomichi Plant

At the Onomichi Plant, we began conservation activities in 2013 at the Fujii River Water Park, a park by the river on the east side of the plant that runs into the part of the Seto Inland Sea, and the plant premises. In the Fujii River Water Park, we survey water quality of the river and also aquatic creatures, birds, and vegetation in and around the river. We also observe wild birds and insects within the plant premises.
In the surveys of aquatic life in the Fujii River, we found aquatic insects such as Ephemera strigata (a species of green drakes), Mnais costalis (broad-winged damselflies) and Asiagomphus melaenops (yamasanae dragonflies), and fish such as Gnathopogon elongatus (tamoroko), Odontobutis obscura (dark sleepers) and Rhinogobius nagoyae, and crustaceans such as Eriocheir japonicus (Japanese mitten crabs) and Palaemon paucidens (lake prawns); however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we conducted only bird-watching and river-cleanup activities in 2022.
Within the plant premises, the Forever Forest grove formation, along with bushes, grasslands, rain-fed ponds and wetlands led to providing a variety of environments for living creatures, constituting an inhabiting environment for dragonflies, butterflies, crickets and grasshoppers. It was also found that the factory site contributes to the nesting of Alauda arvensis (skylarks), the formation of territories of Lanius bucephalus (bull-headed shrikes) and Phoenicurus auroreus (Daurian redstart), and the wintering of Horornis diphone (Japanese bush warblers). We conduct these activities three times a year in collaboration with our consultants and people from the Wild Bird Society of Japan Hiroshima Branch.
The "Fujii River Evening," which was to be held in June 2022, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; however, at the Children's Environmental Festival held in August 2022 at the Onomichi City Environmental Resource and Recycling Center, we exhibited panels showing our conservation activities at the Fujii River, fixed-point observation, and other biodiversity activities by Onomichi Plant employees. In addition, in June 2023, we held the "Fujii River Evening" for the first time in four years, we exhibited materials about our conservation efforts and fixed-point observation, and offered saplings for free.

Bird watching at the plant

White-eye (observed within the factory premises)

Bird watching at Fujii River Water Park

Fujii River Evening (held in June 2023)

Nagano Plant

The Nagano Plant is located at 805,5m above sea level, in an area that is abundant in nature compared to other Yokohama Rubber plants. As there is almost no effluent other than rainwater drainage, we think the environmental impact of this plant is much lower than that of our other sites.
Since the Nagano Plant is located on a river terrace of the Tenryu River, we started biodiversity conservation activities in the plant's rainwater regulation pond in 2021 with the aim of restoring the back-marsh ecosystem of the Tenryu River within the plant premises. To this end, we have decided to exterminate invasive Solidago altissima (tall goldenrods) and Solanum carolinense (Carolina horsenettle) found in the monitoring activities, and each section is in charge of carrying out this activity every year from June to September.
We also conduct monitoring of living creatures, exterminate invasive alien species, and carry out cleanup activities at the irrigation canal on the south side of the plant where rainwater is discharged.

Uprooting activities for alien plants carried out by each section

We also changed a location for surveys of aquatic life from the junction with the Tenryu River, where we used to conduct surveys, to the drain channel on the south side of the plant, and restated surveys in 2023. In the surveys of the drain channel, domestic species such as Opsariichthys platypus (freshwater minnows), Pseudogobio esocinus (Japanese gudgeons), Nipponocypris temminckii (dark chubs), and Paratya compressa (freshwater shirimps), as well as alien species such as Procambarus clarkii (red swamp crayfish) were observed. We conduct surveys four times from April to October.

Aquatic life research activities where many native species were observed

We carried out lower branch pruning work for trees planted as part of our Yokohama Forever Forest Program at the Takamori Factory (current Takamori Warehouse) in 2010 and bamboo forest maintenance work in the adjacent land plot. As an effort to prevent the invasion of bamboos into the forest, we carried out bamboo shoot harvesting (Bamboo Shooting Festa), and share harvested bamboo shootings with employees, and they enjoyed delicious dishes featuring bamboo shootings at home.

Lower branch maintenance work carried out in the Forever Forest at Takamori Warehouse

Bamboo shoots and bamboo shoot dishes that coexist with the Forever Forest

In accordance with the "Forest Foster Parent Promotion Project" promoted by Nagano Prefecture, we have signed a "Forest Foster Parent Agreement" with Toyooka Village to cooperate in the maintenance of the village forest in Toyooka Village, and restarted satoyama maintenance work in June 2022. We cleared undergrowth and pruned lower branches for the conservation of the satoyama.

Members who carried out satoyama maintenance and the maintenance scene

Ibaraki Plant

Since 2013, our Ibaraki Plant has conducted surveys on water quality, vegetation, aquatic life and birds at the Sonobe River to which the plant discharges effluent. Since water from the Sonobe River is used as agricultural water, we pay careful attention to its quality. Since the water coming out from drainage outlet for plant effluent has lower conductivity and higher transparency than those of the water in the Sonobe River, it is believed that plant effluent is adequately managed. A fish tank is also placed at the entrance of the plant, where we are keeping fish caught in the Sonobe River by using the plant effluent.
We started surveying birds within the plant premises in 2015, and have been continuing our survey activities. Starting in 2019, we have newly organized the project "Survey on the Living Environment of Butastur indicus (grey-faced buzzards)" to survey the vegetation and small animals (amphibians and reptiles) in the plant, focusing on grey-faced buzzards, which are registered as a near threatened species in Ibaraki Prefecture, as one of the indicators for environmental conservation. In 2020, we installed a perch for grey-faced buzzards in the plant, and confirmed it has been seen being used by those birds several times. We have also watched them flying over the plant.

Grey-faced Buzzard using a perch installed on the factory premises

These activities have been carried out under the guidance of the Wild Bird Society of Japan Ibaraki Branch and the Omitama Wildlife Association.

Wild bird observation within the factory premises

Small animal survey on the factory premises (survey on the growth environment of Grey-faced Buzzard)

In recognition of these activities, the Ibaraki Plant obtained the ABINC Excellence Award of the "Association for Business Innovation in Harmony with Nature and Community® (ABINC)" certification in April 2023.

ABINC Award for Excellence Award (Certificate)

We will continue in cooperation with people from many quarters.

Yokohama Tire Retread Co., Ltd. Hokkaido Plant (YTRH)

YTRH is located adjacent to Lake Utonai, an internationally famous stopover for many migratory birds, which is located in the eastern part of Tomakomai City, in the central southern part of Hokkaido. YTRH is the only factory among the Yokohama Group that is built in such a nature-rich environment.
To preserve this precious place, we started with the "understanding of Lake Utonai." We started learning about the origins of Lake Utonai, how the first sanctuary of Japan was established, the actual status of conservation activities, and what protection activities are required toward the future, with a ranger of the Wild Birds Society of Japan as a lecturer. We have been continuing cleanup activities around Lake Utonai and the Nature Center since 2017.
In 2022, the once-a-decade biological research by the Wild Bird Society of Japan that started 60 years ago was conducted, and YTRH participated in this event. The data obtained in the research is used for the adjustment of the water level of Lake Utonai and the maintenance of the local ecosystem.

＜Events in Tomakomai City＞
♦Spring Cleanup Month "Zero Garbage Day" on Sunday, April 17, 2022
All the YTRH members (12 people) conducted an exhaustive cleaning of the area around Lake Utonai Sanctuary. Every year after the snow melts, they conduct this exhaustive cleaning, where a lot of trash and litters are collected. We were sad to find that this year again a lot of trash and litters including waste tires were collected. Although it was still cold, we were happy that the Lake Utonai Sanctuary was now cleaner afterward and ready for the summer. All employees will continue to work together on environmental activities and sanctuary support activities for Lake Utonai, and will also continue to engage in meaningful activities together with their families, people from affiliated companies, and the Wild Bird Society of Japan.
♦Autumn Cleanup Month "Zero Garbage Day" on Sunday, October 16, 2022
All the YTRH members (12 people) conducted an exhaustive cleaning of the area around Lake Utonai Sanctuary. They collected a lot of trash and litters in the fresh autumn air as in the last spring.
♦Removal of the invasive alien Solidago gigantea var. leiophylla (giant goldenrods) on Friday, July 15, 2021
When this activity started, the fixed-point observation site where we have conducted cleanup operations every year was occupied by Solidago gigantea , but after five years have passed, we found the number of local native Artemisia indica var. maximowiczii (felon herbs) and Spiraea salicifolia (brideworts) are growing. Therefore, we started conducting the cleanup operations in another place too. We hope to see more native plants in the new place as well.
♦Lake Utonai Vegetation Survey on Wednesday, August 24, and Thursday, August 25, 2022
Since 1962, the Wild Bird Society of Japan and researchers have taken a lead in conducting vegetation surveys at and around Lake Utonai. They have conducted the survey every 10 years, and this was the 7th survey with the year 2022 marking 60th anniversary. Responding to a request from the Wild Bird Society of Japan for support, two employees of YTRC joined the survey. Since the data obtained from the survey constitutes objective data indicating aridification (reduction in the area of the lake), it will serve as an important data for the long-term conservation of Lake Utonai. We have heard that our data is now being used by the authorities to adjust the water level of Lake Utonai. The survey was a really tough one, in which we bogged to our waists in marsh in an area where normally we are not allowed to enter and waded through bushes, but it still was a very valuable experience.

In Japan, there are 633 species of wild birds, 273 of which have been observed in Lake Utonai, and 30 species threatened with extinction are included in them. Endangered wild birds such as Bubo blakistoni (Blakiston's fish owls), Haliaeetus pelagicus (Steller's sea eagle) and Haliaeetus albicilla (white-tailed sea eagles) have been observed there, and recently, Grus japonensis (Japanese cranes) flourishing in the lake have been observed for the first time in 130 years. VTRH will continue, even in the humble ways they can, to work with Wild Bird Society of Japan to contribute to maintaining the ecosystem of Lake Utonai.

Pulling out giant goldenrod(Solidago gigantea var. leiophylla) around Lake Utonai

Cleanup work around Lake Utonai

Yokohama Tire Retread Co., Ltd. Saitama Plant (YTRS)

YTRS has been participating in the activities of "Miyoshi Green Support Team" since November 2015. The Miyoshi Green Support Team is working under the slogan of "make our town a nice, pleasant place to live in through the conservation and maintenance of flatland forests and build heart-warming friendship". The activities are conducted on the third Sunday of every month participated by about 20 local residents and people from local companies every time. In the "Fujikubo Flatland Forest," the traditional circulation-based agricultural practice of making compost from fallen leaves that has continued since the Edo era hundreds of years ago still coexists with the natural biodiversity of the forest.
In April 2015, a part of the YTRS biodiversity activity area was designated as the Saitama Green Trust Conservation Area No. 14. The Saitama Green Trust is an initiative to preserve the outstanding natural and historical environment of Saitama Prefecture by converting an area with such environment into a public land through the cooperation with local residents, companies, and organizations in order to preserve the local environment for future generations.
In July 2023, the "Musashino fallen leaf-derived compost farming practice" was recognized as one of the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations（FAO). The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System recognizes areas where traditional and globally important farming, forestry, and fishing are practiced. In each of the recognized areas, traditional farming, forestry, or fishing that has been passed down for generations is still being practiced while adapting to changes in society and environment. Local culture, landscapes and seascapes that have been nurtured are closely associated with such practices, along with a rich biodiversity formed by the agricultural organisms.

Making compost from fallen leaves... Many beetle larvae are living in the compost.

Pulling weeds and picking up litter in Satoyama

Picking up fallen leaves

Yokohama Tire Retread Co., Ltd. Nagoya Plant (YTRN)

In FY2022, while many of our activities were limited or postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to conduct the 7th phase tree planting event of the Forever Forest Program in the area and continued some of the environmental and biodiversity conservation activities. As part of external activities, the Nagoya Plant belongs to the local NPO of Miyoshino City as a regular member, engaging in the restoration of fallow rice fields and continuing activities for the conservation of the precious local ecosystem.
This NPO supported by the environment division and the municipal board of education of Miyoshino City provides opportunities to provide environmental education to local elementary school students, where the public and private sectors can work together. With these activities having been featured in local public relations magazines, we are confident that they are being appreciated and established as a valuable nature experience program for the local people. In 2023, we are planning to hold a commemorative event to celebrate our 10th anniversary, in addition to the rice planting experience event. All employees of Nagoya Plant will actively take part in the event while doing all the preparatory and background work as part of their contribution to the local community.

Regeneration of fallow fields (rice planting)

Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (YTMT)

Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (YTMT), a tire plant in Thailand, is located within an industrial park. Because water intake and discharge is centrally managed at industrial parks in Thailand, unlike the plants in Japan, it is not possible to confirm the impact of individual plants on water intake and discharge areas. For this reason, we monitor birds and insects in order to assess the green areas (Forever Forests and biotopes) on plant premises. In order to recreate a rich ecosystem within the plant premises, we are creating two types of biotope—marshes and ponds. We have been carrying out further planting in order to preserve the connection between aquatic and land wildlife. We also secure habitats for local species and conduct environmental education for employees through these activities.
In FY2022, these activities were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 25, 2023, YTMT sent environment officer cooperated with CSR officer of Amata City IEAT for give biodiversity education to student primary 5 of Nikhom9 primary school total 31 persons at school. The student enjoined our activity and get more knowledge about biodiversity and environmental mind.

On-dispatch classes at Nikhom 9th elementary school

Y.T. Rubber Co. Ltd. (YTRC)

YTRC is Yokohama Rubber's only natural rubber processing plant, located in Surat Thani Province in southern Thailand. It is built on a flat land nestled between the Tapi River running from about 70km upstream and its branch streams, surrounded by rich nature and a number of natural rubber and palm tree farms.
Although a lot of water is required for washing and transportation in the natural rubber manufacturing process, YTRC has a 100% water recycling system which has been active ever since the plant started operating, thus being a model of effective water use. Sediments from water used in the factory are applied to the ground to make nutrient-rich soil, which works well to create a planting mound or to grow tree saplings. We maintain the quality of factory water at the same level of the water in a nearby river through efficient use of a cleansing basin and also careful water quality checks and improvement.
YTRC has a flood-control basin on its premises where an undisturbed natural environment is maintained. We have been monitoring the fish habitat and water quality in the pond on a monthly basis since November 2014. When the water level rises during the rainy season, the water in the nearby Tapi River often flows into the flood-control basin, where more than 20 species of fish were found to be flourishing in a recent survey. In the forest surrounding this flood-control basin and the area where the trees planted as part of the Forever Forest program are growing, more than 20 species of birds have been observed in the past, and in the evenings, the sound of lively birdsong can be heard from trees. In the forest, there are a lot of palm trees that we carefully maintain by working with people in the community since the plant started operating. These people enjoy collecting the palm fruits and taking them home every month.
In addition to actively taking part in regional events and making donations, we will continue to carry out our activities with a consciousness of ourselves as a "community-minded company." YTRC will continue to maintain the environment surrounding flood-control basin and trees in cooperation with people in the community, and carry out our activities as a "community-contributing company" appreciated by the local people,

Biodiversity survey activities at buffer ponds

Fish catching research activities using cast nets

Bird habitat survey activities

Release of 30,000 fry provided by the Thai Department of Fisheries into the reservoir

Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd. (CHZY)

CHZY is located in an industrial park near the Qiantang River running through the Qiantang district in Hangzhou, China. Although the industrial park has green belt areas, they consist of a limited number of tree species and are not very rich in biodiversity. CHZY has been engaged in our Yokohama Forever Forest Program since 2008. To date, about 24,000 trees have been planted in an area of about 5,000㎡ on and around the plant premises. With a view to making CHZY's Forever Forest a home to woodland plants and animals, our employees have been conducting assessment of the Forever Forest and surveys on living creatures there with teachers and students from the local Hangzhou Normal University. In order to create a superior ecological environment, we conduct activities for the removal of non-native invasive species in the marshy area along the river in the Qiantang district every year in collaboration with the local government and the environment conservation society, protecting the local biodiversity.
As part of the government's environmental protection program, CHZY has been entrusted with the management of a plot of land (area: approximately 2,000m2) in the vicinity of the CHZY site as a "Yokohama Preservation Forest." Since 2013, we have conducted tree-planting activities on Arbor Day in March every year. Even though we were not able to carry out tree planting due to the COVID-19 pandemic in FY2021, we have planted a total of 150 trees to date.

Exterminating goldenrod and picking up trash along the river near the factory

Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc. (YTPI)

YTPI, located within the Clark Special Economic Zone in Pampanga, Republic of the Philippines, has been actively fostering the conservation of biodiversity and the environmental through a series of initiatives engaging its employees and neighboring communities. These efforts comprise ongoing activities like wildlife surveys, tree planting and provision of saplings and support for various undertakings such as the Green Space Program.
During the celebration of the Environment Month, YTPI held a tree planting activity on its grounds with the participation of the Top Officers headed by president Atsushi Funayama and the YTPI employees volunteers. A total of 26 Ilang-ilang seedlings were planted during the activity.

Tree planting activities at YTPI

Additionally, 100 pieces of various seedlings were donated to the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) in Bacolor City, Pampanga, in June 14th, 2023, to support their activity. This act of donation aims to support local environmental initiatives and promote greening efforts within the community.

Donation of saplings to Bacolor City Department of Environment and Natural Resources

In 2021, YTPI launched its “Green Space” Program. Through the Green spaces initiatives employees are encouraged to cultivate vegetables in designated open areas within the company premises, aiming to enhance food sustainability, raise awareness about nutritious eating habits, boost biodiversity by increasing plant species, and promote an environmentally friendly lifestyle to achieve carbon neutrality.
As to this date, several departments have embraced this initiative, successfully cultivating, and distributing their harvests. They also expanded from vegetable and fruit crops to flower-bearing plants like sunflowers. Moreover, the program has evolved into "Gulay ay Buhay sa YTPI," extending its reach by adopting school vegetable gardens, providing necessary supplies, and organizing the harvest for cafeteria concessions as a source of fresh vegetables.
To date, YTPI has partnered to four schools namely around the community – San Joaquin Elementary School (SJES), Mauaque Resettlement High school (MRHS), Mauaque Resettlement Elementary School (MRES), and San Vincent and Elementary School (SVES). The program intends to include more schools in the future to further enhance community partnership.

Harvesting from green space

Through expanding the green spaces initiatives and sustaining YTPI’s forever forest, diverse species of insects, arachnids, reptiles, and birds were seen during monitoring thereby concluding a sustainable complex and healthy ecosystem despite YTPI’s forest size. For the first half of 2023, YTPI was observed to be home for a total of 22 species of wildlife.

Observed Heliconius sara (Sara Longwing, left) and Crioceris duodecimpunctata (Asparagus beetle, right)

By engaging in these initiatives, YTPI aims to decrease its carbon footprint, thus contributing to the mitigation of global warming and climate change. Simultaneously, the company seeks to assist neighboring communities with their environmental challenges and needs. The hope is that these activities will create awareness about the significance of affected ecosystems and encourage the community to actively participate in conservation efforts.

Yokohama Tire Manufacturing Virginia（YTMV）

YTMV is located at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia in the eastern United States. The area offers a vibrant natural environment where people can enjoy four distinct seasons like in Japan. The growth of trees in the Forever Forest planted on the YTMV premise has provided a natural habitat for a large variety of wildlife and wild fowl. YTMV is carrying out activities to balance the conservation of this natural environment and the company’s production activities.
Since 2015, YTMV has set up nest boxes to protect breeding Sialia sialis (Eastern bluebirds), and since then, all employees watch over the baby birds as they grow.

Nest for Eastern bluebird

Bluebird chick in the nest box

Eastern bluebird

Also, within the premises of YTMV, a small group of Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deers) lives. These mammals play a significant role within our gates through vegetation management as well as seed dispersal and plant diversity. These animals also serve as a viewing enjoyment to our employees.

White-tailed deer grazing on the factory grounds

Suzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd (CSZY)

CSZY is located in Yangtze Delta of Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. Yangtze Delta is abundant in water resources with many lakes and rivers including Lake Tai, covering 36% of Suzhou's area. This area is also characterized by mild climate, ample rainfall and plenty of sunshine. CSZY launched Forever Forest activities in 2012, and biodiversity activities in 2016, and has observed changes of birds, insects and plants within the plant premises.
On May 27 2022, 23 new employees conducted a survey on biodiversity within the factory. On May 27 2023, CSZY also held its 15th biodiversity survey activity event jointly with the New District Ecological Environment Bureau and the New District Environmental Protection Council. Children and students from neighboring kindergartens, elementary schools and junior high schools and their parents and teachers joined the events with CSZY employees and helped with the survey activities. In the survey, participants counted the number of insects, plants and birds within the premises to understand how they live, and measures the growing conditions of trees in the CSZY's Forever Forest. The survey also revealed that the number of egrets has increased. The event helped the local residents to understand what CSZY is doing to protect indigenous creatures and conserve the local environment. Biodiversity survey activities enable us to understand the status of the biological environment within the plant premises, and also help to preserve the local ecosystem and harmonize with the local community while conducting business activities at the plant.
In the CSZY activities, they have observed birds such as sparrows and egrets, plants such as Triadica sebiferum (Chinese tallow trees), Malus halliana (hall's crabapples), Ligustrum obtusifolium (border privets), Taraxacum (dandelions), Ipomoea nil (morning glories), and Bellis perennis (common daisies), insects such as Apis (honey bees) and butterflies, and earthworms. At the same time with observing these creatures, they also collect tree seed nuts to grow saplings for our Forever Forest Program. At the survey event, in addition to observing the living creatures, the CSZY teams confirmed the healthy growth of their Forever Forest, which gave them a valuable opportunity to deepen their understanding of how its growth is positively impacting the local ecosystem.

Participants in biodiversity activities

Students from Yangshan Center Elementary School, Jinyu Xincheng Experimental Elementary School, and Huqiu Practice Center Elementary School observing living creatures

Yokohama Tyre Vietnam Inc.（YTVI）

YTVI started an internal tree-planting project in 2018 jointly with the Southern Institute of Ecology (SIE) at Lo Go-Xa Mat (LGXM) National Park, leveraging the knowledge and skills they have obtained through the Forever Forest activities within the plant premises. YTVI has planted 500 trees of seven different indigenous species on about one hectare of land. It has been confirmed that the planted trees have formed a canopy over the three years and that the number of animal species living in the forest has increased every year (from 2018 to 2021). Over the past four years, a total of 68 employees, from YTVI's executives to new hires, have worked to protect and survey the trees planted on the premises. In June 2022, a closing ceremony of the biodiversity conservation activities in LGXM National Park was held with jointly with our key partner SIE and the LGXM National Park Board. In the closing ceremony, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between YTVI and the LGXM National Park Management Board to implement the necessary measures for future forestry conservation and fire prevention and to continue the management authority.

Closing remarks by YTVI President Yasuhiro Kurokawa

Group photo of project members in the forest

Organisms captured during the nighttime survey (gecko: scientific name Dixonius siamensis, spider: scientific name unconfirmed)

Future challenges

Currently, the loss of Biodiversity is recognized as serious an environmental risk as that of climate changes. In particular, we recognize that it is important to take initiatives and disclose information in accordance with the targets goals and approaches that are being getting identified in the process of adopting formulating the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).
In order to make meaningful efforts in line with the discussions within these frameworks and the wider penetration of their concept across the world, we will define our priority biodiversity commitments as part of the overall business activities of the Yokohama Rubber Group, and promote activities to pursue these commitments and actively share information to deepen the understanding of our employees and stakeholders.