The company’s employees are from Thailand and Myanmar and we distribute compliance cards in their respective languages in an effort to promote an awareness of compliance.
Global Compliance study meetings are held a number of times annually, and through them compliance levels are increasing.

Interactions between employees

Although various events were cancelled one after another due to COVID-19, every year we promote cross-cultural exchange and friendship among Thai, Burmese, and Japanese employees by sponsoring and participating in events based on Thai Buddhist culture, birthday parties, year-end parties, internal and external sporting events, and employee weddings.
In addition, we carry out everything from seed collection to seedling cultivation within our company, donate the seedlings, and conduct tree planting activities.

Activities for protecting safety and health

We conduct daily safety training and education to raise safety awareness and maintain zero accidents. In addition, we regularly review our protective equipment to ensure that it is appropriately placed and used.
We have been implementing thorough countermeasures against COVID-19 from the early stage and have made efforts to control the number of infected patients.
We also actively participate in drug eradication campaigns led by the government and work to maintain the health and healthy living environments of employees.
We follow the laws concerning medical insurance and regular health checkups, and equal working conditions for both Thais and Burmese, with no discrimination based on ethnicity.

Environmental data

• FY: January to December
• Greenhouse gas emissions for the overseas site were calculated based on the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Initiative.
• Since FY2017, the water usage calculation also includes rainwater figures. Water is reused through complete circulation, resulting in zero water discharge.

Energy-saving activities

We have promoted energy conservation activities, and electricity and fuel consumption per unit of production is on a downward trend. In addition to the aggressive use of LEDs and the introduction of motion sensors, the company has also promoted improvements such as reviewing the installation of electricity meters in company housing to individual units, which has significantly reduced electricity consumption in offices and company housing.

Biodiversity preservation activities

We are continuing with preservation activities such as surveying the lifeforms on the pondage on the company grounds and the adjacent Tappi River.
In addition to maintaining and managing the water quality of the reservoir, we have planted trees and constructed a seawall to create a habitable environment for birds and fish. The release of young fish into the pond has resulted in a large population of fish, and when the pond is opened to the local community once a year, a large catch is obtained each year.
The water for the factory is completely circulated through the cleaning pond, so there is usually no drainage into the reservoir. In addition, even when temporary drainage is necessary due to an increase in precipitation, etc., water quality inspections are conducted in advance and drainage is carried out only after obtaining the approval of the local government.

We regularly visit existing raw materials suppliers in order to maintain and strengthen relationships while providing explanations on our CSR philosophy in order to deepen the level of understanding.

Promoting agroforestry farming

Agroforestry farming is a form of mixed cultivation. By growing various crops within rubber plantations through utilizing the spacing between the planted rubber trees, small-scale farmers (smallholders) can develop an additional stable income source by being able to harvest and sell produce, etc. By promoting the adoption of agroforestry farming practices, at YTRC we are working to stabilize the businesses and livelihoods of smallholders. We are also helping to maintain the region’s natural biodiversity and to protect its forests.
Furthermore, we are cooperating with university specialists who are researching agroforestry farming practices, and supplying saplings to an experimental plantation that is being run by YTRC.
Seedlings grown by YTRC from seeds are supplied throughout the year to local schools, institutions, and individuals of their choice. More than 10,000 seedlings are supplied every year, and the program has been well received.
At Y.T. Rubber, employees consistently conduct everything from collecting and sorting seeds to cultivating soil and creating seedling pods by hand in order to make the most of the rich vegetation in the region.
The company provides more than 10,000 seedlings to local schools, facilities, and individuals throughout the year, and these seedlings have been well received.

CSR Farmers Survey

Yokohama Rubber will conduct a survey of farmers to ascertain the actual status of natural rubber production from 2020 toward the "achievement of sustainable natural rubber procurement," which is Yokohama Rubber's goal, and will reach a cumulative total of 500 farmers by 2023.
With the improvement of traceability of raw materials in mind, we are also actively implementing farmer support activities, such as creating educational opportunities for many farmers and providing fertilizers free of charge, starting in 2019.

Awareness-raising and support activities for natural rubber farmers

In collaboration with the Rubber Authority of Thailand (RAOT), Yokohama Rubber holds seminars twice a year for natural rubber farmers to deepen their understanding of the importance of improving the quality and yield of natural rubber as well as the importance of eliminating contamination by foreign materials, in order to achieve Yokohama Rubber's goal of "sustainable natural rubber procurement.
In addition, we distribute special fertilizers and ask for their cooperation in observing the progress of quality improvement, which we consider as an important opportunity to attract YOKOHAMA fans.

Quality is managed in accordance with ISO9001, and we continue to make improvements every day with zero customer complaints in mind.

In past years we have participated in monthly meetings with local communities to exchange opinions on the environment and company initiatives and to deepen understanding of company activities. In addition, we also participate in meetings with nearby businesses and public institutions (schools, hospitals, and temples) to exchange information and participate in donation activities in order to cooperate with the development of the region.
As in previous years, we participated in local tree planting activities and held a study session on "Effective Fertilization" for natural rubber farmers in collaboration with an organization under the Thai Ministry of Agriculture. As part of our response during the COVID-19 period, we distributed bags of emergency food to senior citizen facilities.
When a flood occurred in the village surrounding the factory, we provided drinking water and rice to all households in two neighboring villages immediately after the flood, which was greatly appreciated.