News Release

"Yokohama Forever Forest" Project Tree-Planting Ceremony Held at Key Tire Production Site in Thailand

2009.January.20

  • Management relation
  • Sustainability relation

Tokyo - The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., announced that on Friday, December 5, 2008, it staged a tree-planting ceremony as part of its "Yokohama Forever Forest" project at Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) Co., Ltd., a key location in the production of tires for passenger cars, trucks and buses. This was the third such event at an overseas location, following those at Yokohama Tire Philippines, Inc., in August, and at Hangzhou Yokohama Tire Co., Ltd., in China, in November.

Prior to the planting, Dr. Akira Miyawaki, a noted ecologist and professor emeritus of Yokohama National University, and Dr. Sirin Kawlaierd, currently working at the Thai Imperial Household Agency, who earned his doctoral degree at Yokohama National University, had investigated trees indigenous to the specific area. At the end of last August, we received tree-planting guidance based on the results of their investigation and carried out preparations, including developing the intended location and producing seedlings.

That the day was a national holiday in celebration of the birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has a keen interest in environmental matters, made the event even more meaningful. Some 1,500 people attended the tree-planting, including employees of the Yokohama Rubber Group and their families, representatives from local communities and local residents, students from local elementary schools, and representatives of other companies in the Amata City Industrial Estate, where the company is located. After welcoming comments by President Yasuhiro Mizumoto of Yokohama Tire Manufacturing (Thailand) and other distinguished guests, Dr. Anong Chanamol, of the Thai Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, who earned his doctoral degree from Yokohama National University, explained how to plant the trees. Following Thai dance and other performances by elementary school students, the participants were divided into groups and, over the course of an hour or so, planted about 7,200 trees, 25 varieties, native to the area - primarily broad-leaved evergreen trees in the Dipterocarpaceae family.

The "Yokohama Forever Forest" project will create forests over ten years at domestic and overseas production sites, concluding in 2017 in conjunction with the centennial celebration of Yokohama Rubber. At seven plants in Japan and eleven overseas plants of the Yokohama Rubber Group, a total of 500,000 trees will be planted. In Japan, the first-phase tree-planting has been completed at six plants (all but the Shinshiro Plant, where an event will be held in May 2009), with 51,900 trees planted so far. In 2009, the second-phase tree-planting will start. At overseas locations, tree-planting will be held at Yokohama Tire Corporation in the U.S. in April 2009, and at Yokohama Rubber (Thailand) Co., Ltd., in September.

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Participants planting trees

Participants planting trees