WILSON, N.C. (July 20, 2023) – Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) announced its Wilson, North Carolina passenger/light truck tire manufacturing facility has earned 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 in its transition to a circular economy.
“This recognition speaks to the commitment, dedication and diligence of each of our Wilson teammates who are committed to safe, sustainable operations that ultimately provide our customers with high-quality tires,” said Barry Owens, Senior Vice President, Bridgestone Americas Manufacturing Group. “We continue to implement enhanced sustainable operational systems and processes across our global manufacturing footprint.”
“The ISCC PLUS certification for our Wilson, N.C. manufacturing facility is an important mile marker in our journey to a sustainable solutions company as it is just the second tire plant in America to receive the certification, following Bridgestone’s Aiken County passenger/light truck tire facility,” said Hans Dorfi, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Bridgestone Americas. “Sustainable manufacturing is a core element of our 2050 commitments, and we will continue to implement changes to the processes at our manufacturing facilities to work toward a sustainable mobility future.”
The Wilson passenger tire manufacturing facility has been a leader in tire manufacturing innovation throughout its 49 years of operations. The Wilson tire plant manufactures passenger tires, light truck radial tires and original equipment tires. The Wilson plant led production of the new Bridgestone Turanza EV tire; Bridgestone’s first replacement tire designed specifically for today’s top-selling electric vehicles. In 2020, the Wilson plant was also recognized for its effective safety and health management systems and maintaining low injury and illness rates by the North Carolina Department of Labor. As the single largest industrial employer in Wilson County, the plant plays an active role in the Wilson community, contributing to the United Way of Wilson County’s campaign, Wilson Education Partnership and the American Red Cross.
The Wilson tire plant’s ISCC PLUS certification demonstrates Bridgestone’s progress toward sustainable manufacturing, which is an essential element of the company’s 2050 sustainability commitments – to achieve carbon neutrality and tires made with 100% renewable materials. Bridgestone also continues to advance its R&D initiative aimed at diversifying the world’s natural rubber supply by commercializing use of guayule natural rubber in tires by 2030.
The ISSC PLUS certification of the Wilson, N.C. passenger tire manufacturing facility 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.
For more company news, visit BridgestoneAmericas.com.
*The bio- based and recycled content of the synthetic rubber is allocated using the ISCC PLUS mass balance approach. With respect to sustainable materials handled by the certified site, the annex to the ISCC certificate provides additional information and states that it is only applicable for material handled under the scopes: farm/plantation, point of origin, central office, (farm/plantation or point of origin) first gathering point, processing unit (any type) but not for material that is only traded and/or stored). Mass balancing is a chain of custody option in which certified and non-certified materials are mixed physically but kept separate in the bookkeeping. This method is used to document and track biological, circular and renewable materials through complex manufacturing systems. By using mass balance, certified entities can track how much sustainable material has been used in their manufacturing systems and ensure that it corresponds exactly to the amount of certified content in the end products. Specific information about the ISCC certification is available at: All Certificates › ISCC System (iscc-system.org)
