SINGAPORE – Media OutReach – 17 December 2020 – Michelin has won the ‘Smart Mobility’ award from the European Chamber of Commerce in Singapore (EuroCham) at its inaugural EuroCham Sustainability Awards 2020, held virtually on November 17, 2020. The award recognized Michelin’s continued efforts to ensure that its raw materials, in particular natural rubber, are sustainably and ethically sourced.
The Awards Seminar was graced by Mrs Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission and Ms Grace Fu, Singapore’s Minister for Sustainability and the Environment. The Sustainability Awards 2020 marked the importance of sustainability for both the EU Commission and the Singapore Government as both parties strive to create a sustainable future across different sectors, which has been demonstrated by The EU Commission’s European Green Deal and Singapore’s Sustainability Concept Plan.
Since 2014, Michelin has been committed to and innovating towards a sustainable supply chain to reduce greenhouse emissions. Natural rubber, a key material used in tire manufacturing, has a particularly complex supply chain where 85% of the global supply is provided for by smallholder farmers. To meet this challenge, Michelin’s natural rubber procurement and technical hub, hosted in Singapore, developed an innovative digital solution, RubberWay®.
RubberWay® assesses and maps social and environmental risks throughout the natural rubber supply chain — which includes around six million farmers, 100,000 intermediaries and over 500 processing plants. The deployment of this solution has allowed both Michelin as well as its suppliers to aggregate and statistically analyze large amounts of supply chain data. This data is visualized on a web-based dashboard to identify jurisdictions of higher risk so that mitigating activities can be carried out to improve sustainability in the value chain. Michelin has also leveraged third party assessments to determine the CSR performance of its direct suppliers. Alongside other commitments toward material efficiency, reduced environmental impact of production and pursuit of innovative technologies, Michelin is offering everyone a better way forward through smart and sustainable mobility.
“In line with its ‘all sustainable’ vision, Michelin envisions sustainable natural rubber as a means to uphold human rights, protect forests and foster essential environmental services. This award is the confirmation that sustainable sourcing, and in particular natural rubber procurement, has an important role to play within the European Union Green Deal, especially here in Singapore and Asia,” said Segsarn Trai-Ukos, Managing Director, Societe Des Matieres Premieres Tropicales Pte Ltd (SMPT). SMPT is a dedicated subsidiary by the Michelin Group as sole supplier of the group’s Natural Rubber.
“This important award is recognition of Michelin’s sustainability initiatives, and it strengthens our ambition that everything we do should be sustainable,” said Chan Hock Sen, Country Head of Michelin Singapore.
The EuroCham Sustainability Awards 2020 recognized and acknowledged best sustainability practices by members of the European Chamber of Commerce in Singapore in the following categories:
- Smart Mobility
- Clean and Efficient Energy
- Circular Economy
- Sustainable Food and Nutrition
- Green Finance
The winners were judged by a panel of judges, including distinguished sustainability professionals and EuroCham’s strategic knowledge partner, Accenture based on four key criteria: Sustainability Strategy and Culture; Technology and Innovation; Ecosystem Partnerships; and Social, Environment and Economic Impact.
About Michelin
Michelin, the leading mobility company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve a variety of industries. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 170 countries, has more than 127,000 employees and operates 69 tire production facilities which together produced around 200 million tires in 2019. (www.michelin.com)
