Cooper claims gains in corporate social issues

Findlay, Ohio — Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. claims it has cut its energy usage intensity 18% and reduced greenhouse gas emissions intensity 12% since 2009, according to its recently released Corporate Social Responsibility report.

"Cooper's sustainability initiatives include our efforts to improve the lives of our employees, our communities, and the world for future generations," said Cooper president and CEO Brad Hughes, who noted the report details the company's progress in terms of environmental stewardship, employee health and safety, technology, innovation and community support.

"We are making progress on these initiatives and will continue to report our performance to key stakeholders," he said.

Among the highlights of the report:

Energy usage: usage intensity has declined year-over-year since 2009;

Water usage intensity has dropped 7% since 2009; and

Landfill usage intensity has decreased nearly 30% since 2009;

In terms of tire safety education, Cooper continues to support its signature cause of tire and vehicle safety for teens and young adults through the Tread Wisely program. Cooper employees are active in this program in the US, Serbia and UK, with plans to expand to Asia and Latin America.

Additionally, Cooper is active in a number of sustainability initiatives, including research into more fuel-efficient tires and into alternative sources of raw materials such as guayule.

On the employee health and safety front, Cooper strives for a zero-injury culture through an employee Safety Excellence System and a "Drive to Zero" global safety campaign. Cooper's "recordable incident rate" at its tire plants worldwide has improved more than 70% since 2007.