Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced today that total seedlings contributed to outside groups - part of the company's commitment under its Yokohama Forever Forest Project - had reached nearly 50,000 (about 37,000 domestically and 13,000 overseas) in the three years of the project, as of the end of FY2011*. They were delivered for use at a total of 81 locations, primarily in tree-planting events by administrations, or use by public facilities and companies. Yokohama Rubber's employees raised each of the seedlings from seeds.

Endeavoring under the project to plant 500,000 seedlings at its domestic and overseas production sites, Yokohama Rubber provides seedlings to outside parties as well, also to enhance environmental awareness both within the Yokohama Rubber group and throughout society. After 2,150 seedlings were contributed in FY2009 and 6,946 in FY2010, the number jumped sharply to 40,695 in FY2011. The Shinshiro Plant (Shinshiro City, Aichi Prefecture) supplied about 9,000 seedlings to 34 facilities, organizations and companies. At a tree-planting in Togo-cho, plant employees, at the request of the local administration, offered guidance and participated as volunteers, for which a letter of appreciation was received and a signboard erected by the town on the site, recognizing Yokohama Rubber's contribution. The Hiratsuka Factory assisted in two tree-planting events, one by Hadano City as part of the 61th National Arbor Day and one by Shinwa Gakuen, a social welfare organization. The Mie Plant cooperated similarly with the promotion of afforestation in Mie Prefecture, and the Mishima Plant for greenery promotion activities in Numazu City. Overseas, Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd., supplied 10,000 seedlings for regional tree-planting. Yokohama Rubber will continue donating seedlings as part of its social and environmental contribution activities.

The Yokohama Forever Forest Project was started in 2007 and is creating forests at domestic and overseas production sites in anticipation of the company's 100th anniversary in 2017. Of the total target of 500,000 trees, about 183,000 have been planted so far. Under the guidance of Dr. Akira Miyawaki, professor emeritus of Yokohama National University and a plant ecologist, company employees primarily perform the work of soil preparation, gathering seeds, raising seedlings, and planting and caring for trees indigenous to each local area.

*Yokohama Rubber's fiscal year is from the beginning of April to the end of March the following year. The designation "FY2011," for example, is for the year to the end of March 2011.