News

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. (Head Office: Kobe, Japan; CEO: Satoru Yamamoto) is pleased to announce that our tire manufacturing and sales subsidiary in Thailand, Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Rayong Province, Thailand; President: Minoru Iwane), is in the process of installing the world’s largest rooftop solar panel array (for a single facility) as well as a gas cogeneration system and will also begin receiving green electric power supplied by Kansai Energy Solutions (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (“K-EST”), which is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (“KEPCO,” Head Office: Osaka, Japan; CEO: Nozomu Mori). We are also pleased to announce that Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand) today signed an agreement with KEPCO concerning the provision of renewable energy certificates.


With support from the Japanese Ministry of the Environment as part of their “2022 Financing Program for Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM)^*2 Model Projects,” K-EST will be installing a rooftop solar panel array (around 40,000 panels with a total output of approximately 22MW) as well as a gas cogeneration system (two 6.6MW boilers) at Sumitomo Rubber (Thailand)’s Factory in Rayong Province. All of the electric power and steam that this equipment generates will be supplied directly to the factory, replacing the energy sources that the factory currently uses. Once this project is complete, we estimate that it will reduce the factory’s total annual CO₂ emissions by approximately 38,000 tons.

At the same time, the factory will also be making the transition to carbon-free electric energy thanks to I-REC^*3 precured and provided by KEPCO. As these I-REC represent the renewable energy attributes of biomass electric power that is generated by incinerating excess branches, trunks and other scraps that are left over after rubber trees are harvested for lumber in Thailand, this project will also contribute to our Sustainable Natural Rubber^*4 efforts.


In light of accelerating climate change and other major recent developments concerning the most pressing issues that our global society faces today, the Sumitomo Rubber Group came to the conclusion that a new policy, one based on long-term perspectives to foresee the world of 2050, would be essential to the sustained growth and development of both our group and society as a whole. And so, we formulated and unveiled our “Driving Our Future Challenge 2050^*5” Long-Term Sustainability Policy in August of 2021. Since then, we have been making steady progress on various efforts to realize the aims of this policy, especially when it comes to carbon neutrality. Having set an ambitious target of reducing our annual Scope 1 and 2 CO₂ emissions by 50% (compared with 2017 emissions) by the year 2030, we now anticipate achieving this target one year ahead of schedule. The Sumitomo Rubber Group is committed to ongoing efforts to work toward the solution of various social and environmental issues throughout all of our business activities so that we may actively contribute to the realization of sustainable societies.

◆Corporate Profiles
■Sumitomo Rubber（Thailand）Co., Ltd.

Head Office	: 7/232 Moo. 6, Soi Pornprapa (Amata City Rayong Industrial Estate) Tambol Mabyangporn, Amphur Pluakdaeng, Rayong 21140 Thailand
Representative	: President Minoru Iwane
Establishment	: May 2005
Scope of Business	: Manufacture & Sale of Tires for Automobiles & Agricultural Machinery, Solid Tires for Forklifts, Rubber Crawlers & Tire Molds
Production Capacity	: 15,000 Tons/Month (New Rubber Consumption as of December 31, 2022)
No. of Employees	: 7,160 (as of December 31, 2021)

■The Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.

Head Office	: 6-16 Nakanoshima 3-chome, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture
Representative	: President & Representative Executive Officer Nozumu Mori
Established	: May 1951
Scope of Business	: Provision of Electric Power, Heat, Gas & Telecommunications, etc.

■Kansai Energy Solutions (Thailand) Co., Ltd.

Head Office	: 689 Bhiraj Tower at EmQuartier 23rd Floor, Unit 2313, Sukhumvit Road, Klongton Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Thailand
Representative	: (Full-Time) Managing Director Katsuhisa Yamamoto
Establishment	: August 2018
Scope of Business	: Design, Procurement, Construction, Repair & Maintenance of Equipment Involved in the Provision of Electric Power, Steam & Heat, Generation & Sale of Electric Power Steam & Heat

※1.	As of February 1, 2023, this will be the largest world’s rooftop solar panel array installed at a single facility. (According to Internal KEPCO Research)
※2.	This program supports projects that take advantage of advanced decarbonization technologies, etc. to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and elsewhere while promoting the practice of MRV (Measurement, Reporting and Verification). In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and beyond, this program also aims to contribute to the achievement of greenhouse gas emission reduction targets set by Japan and other partner countries through JCM (Joint Crediting Mechanism). The program subsidizes up to 50% of the initial investment cost of introducing advanced decarbonization technologies, etc. The project described above is being carried out with joint support from the governments of both Thailand and Japan.
※3.	Certified and issued by a Non-Profit Organization called “The I-REC Standard,” I-REC (International Renewable Energy Certificates) serve as documentation attesting to the renewable energy attributes of electric power that has been generated using renewable energy sources.
※4.	Sumitomo Rubber Group Updates “Sustainable Natural Rubber Policy” (News Release Issued August 31, 2021) https://www.srigroup.co.jp/english/newsrelease/2021/sri/2021_067.html
※5.	Sumitomo Rubber Establishes Long-Term Sustainability Policy: “Driving Our Future Challenge 2050” (News Release Issued August 5, 2021) https://www.srigroup.co.jp/english/newsrelease/2021/sri/2021_060.html