Sumitomo Rubber’s Shirakawa facility recognized as a Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site
Tokyo, Japan – Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. announced that its Shirakawa Factory has been recognized as a Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Site by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan. For nearly 50 years since it began operations in 1974, Shirakawa Factory has engaged in a variety of activities, including forest management and conservation of endangered plant species.
The certification was awarded for the factory’s efforts to preserve rare plant species such as yellow floating heart (Nymphoides peltata), a near threatened species, and Asian fawn lily (Erythronium japonicum). In addition, Sumitomo Rubber GENKI Forest, a forest developed by the company in the factory’s vicinity as satoyama (a working forest that is maintained and managed by humans), was also recognized as an outstanding site for supporting a diverse range of plant species and their habitats.Moreover, we are fostering interaction with local communities by hosting community events and providing saplings grown at the factory to local people. We will continue its efforts to make the factory valued by the community.
Recognizing the Preservation of Biodiversity as one of the issues that we need to solve, Sumitomo Rubber Industries Group has identified priority issues and conducted the regionality analysis of these issues. Meanwhile, after the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) released disclosure recommendations (TNFD Recommendations) in September 2023, we registered as a TNFD Adopter and were included in the list of “Early Adopters.”
Nationally Certified Sustainably Managed Natural Sites are recognized by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan as sites that “contribute to biodiversity conservation through private entities’ initiatives” to achieve the “30by30” target, which is a goal of effectively conserving at least 30% of land and sea areas as healthy ecosystems by 2030. The certified areas are also registered on the international database as Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs).