Bridgestone commissions 1.725 MWp solar plant at Indore facility

Bridgestone India, the leading OE and aftermarket tyre supplier, has announced commissioning of a 1.725 MWp solar plant at its Indore, Madhya Pradesh manufacturing plant as part of the company's commitment of reducing carbon footprint.

The tyre maker says this will result in cancelling out a total of 1,601 MT of carbon dioxide emissions along with an annual saving of approximately Rs 68 lakh in savings. At present, the company's Pune plant has installed 1 MW of solar capacity and is in the process of setting up of another 4 MW, which will commence operation early this year.

Inaugurating the solar plant, Parag Satpute, MD, Bridgestone India said, "Solar energy is inexhaustible and renewable. One MW of solar capacity saves an estimated 1,000 tonnes of CO2 emission per year. Through Bridgestone’s constant search for improvements in energy efficiency and renewable energy, our carbon emissions are decreasing, which is a core aspect of our company’s philosophy. For us in India, this is a step towards the company’s global long term commitment of achieving a 50 percent reduction of CO2 emissions by 2050 and beyond.”

The solar plant was inaugurated by Mete Ekin, VP — Emerging Markets CIS, India, Middle- East & Africa Bridgestone Middle East & Africa FZE; Makoto Hashimoto, vice-chair, Bridgestone Europe; Parag Satpute, MD, Bridgestone India in presence of Uday Wagde Indore Plant Manager.

Bridgestone Group says it has focused on the 'Environment,' as one of the priority areas of its global CSR commitment and has set a target of a 35 percent reduction in CO2 emissions per net sales from operations and products’ after-use by 2020 (compared to 2005). The company has set a long-term environmental vision for the year 2050 and beyond, for realising an environmentally sustainable society. The realisation of CO2 reduction will be an important part of achieving this vision.