Bridgestone Americas, Inc., a subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation, the world’s largest tire and rubber company, and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) today announced that all five of the company’s Tennessee plants—including three industrial product plants and two tire plants—have been inducted into the Tennessee Green Star Partnership. This marks a significant environmental achievement for Bridgestone Americas as it becomes the first company in Tennessee to have three or more plants in the partnership.
The Tennessee Green Star Partnership is an environmental leadership program facilitated by TDEC to recognize Tennessee manufacturers that are committed to sustainability and continuous improvement throughout their entire operation.
“At Bridgestone, our commitment to the environment and sustainability is a priority in all aspects of our business, from tire manufacturing to industrial products,” said Jim DeMouy, vice president of Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability at Bridgestone Americas. “It is a priority and a key pillar to our global commitment, Our Way to Serve, in which we are dedicated to making the communities where we work stronger and healthier for generations to come. We are proud all five of our Tennessee plants are in the Tennessee Green Star Partnership and applaud TDEC for encouraging Tennessee manufacturers to demonstrate a commitment to environmental sustainability.”
Plants inducted into the partnership include the Bridgestone APM Dickson plant, which makes automotive parts such as seat cushions; Firestone Industrial Products plant, in Dyersburg, which produces air springs; and Bridgestone Metalpha USA (BMU) plant in Clarksville, which makes steel cord for tires. These three facilities join the two Bridgestone tire plants located in the state, LaVergne and Warren County truck, bus and radial tire plants which were previously inducted.
“Bridgestone’s commitment to sustainability is evident in the actions these facilities have taken to protect our environment, conserve energy and reduce waste,” said TDEC Commissioner Dr. Shari Meghreblian. “We hope their achievements will serve as replicable best practices for other Tennessee manufacturers.”
The plants implemented many initiatives to achieve positive environmental impacts. Examples include Dyersburg’s recycling program, in which 99 percent of all generated waste is recycled, including an average of 600,000 pounds of steel per month. Dyersburg also recycles aluminum, plastic, paper, wood, aerosol cans, copper rings, batteries and scrap metals. Another example is Warren County’s Bridgestone Environmental Education Classroom and Habitat (BEECH) program, which features an environmental learning center where thousands of Warren County students in pre-k through fifth grade come to learn grade-specific science curriculum aligned with Tennessee's standards. Major environmental achievements at the Clarksville BMU plant included a reduction of energy use of more than 1 million kWh by systematically updating light bulbs in the production area with energy-efficient LEDs and upgrading an industrial chiller unit. In 2017, BMU also implemented a program to automatically shut down production equipment once a certain threshold is met to relieve strain on the electrical grid during peak times.
These initiatives and the admirable compliance and continued improvement in environmental performance, energy reductions, materials recycling and landfill reductions have earned Bridgestone plants the right to continue to be a part of the Tennessee Green Star Partnership.
For more information about Bridgestone Americas, visit https://www.bridgestoneamericas.com.
