Yokohama's Forever Forest project comes to India
Published On 03-Jun-2016
With the intention of giving back to the environment, Yokohama India initiated planting of trees at its factory at the HSIIDC Industrial Estate, Bahadurgarh, Jhajjar in Haryana. This step is a part of the company's global Forever Forest project that aims to plant 500,000 trees by 2017 on Yokohama's 100th anniversary.
The Japanese tyre manufacturer is planning to plant 12,100 trees in the next 7 year (up to 2023 in India). The company also intends to donate the plants to the community in Bahadurgarh. This will speed up the process of tree plantation and make people aware of the environmental issues.
President and Director of Yokohama in India Satoshi Fujitsu said, “By planting evergreen broad-leaved trees in every factory of Yokohama, the forests absorb CO2 and prevent global warming. We will be planting more than 23 kinds of local trees. The diversity itself will help in the growth of fauna and flora in the region as well as contribute to Delhi NCR’s fight against air pollution.”
Along the way, Dr. Akira Miyawaki, Plant Ecologist and Emeritus Professor of Yokohama National University is guiding Yokohama India's project.
Under this project, around 370,000 trees have been planted in Japan, Asia, America and Europe since 2007.
Being involved in this project, employees and participants become more aware about the environment. The Forever Forest project aims to create forests that protect human societies from natural disasters. The company plans to plant local trees that have evergreen broad leaves as they are more sustainable and flame retardant. These plantation will help the local area by minimising the effects of natural disasters like typhoon, earthquake and tsunami.
Yokohama has also adopted eco-friendly manufacturing methods for its tyres. The company's proprietary Orange Oil technology has reduced the use of petroleum oils for tyre manufacturing. Two newly-launched tyres, ADVAN Sport V105 and Geolandar SUV, incorporate this manufacturing method.
The company's Bahadurgarh plant is striving for zero emissions. To reach this level, the tyre maker has opted for Zero Liquid Discharge and the waste water is treated through an inbuilt sewage treatment plant. This treated water is then used for gardening purposes.