Our Approach to Social Contribution Activities

In commemoration of the 25th anniversary of Bridgestone's establishment, the founder of Bridgestone, Shojiro Ishibashi, donated the Ishibashi Cultural Center to the city of Kurume, where Bridgestone was founded. At the entrance of the cultural center, the words “For the welfare and happiness of all mankind” are engraved in a stone wall.

This dedication is not only for the cultural center, but rather this was Shojiro Ishibashi's managerial creed as well as his view of life itself.

Shojiro Ishibashi believed that working to make a business prosper was a means for businesspeople to devote themselves to society and the nation, and that in those endeavors it is important to focus not only on business operations but also on public-interest activities. In accordance with that belief, our founder began to donate a number of educational and cultural buildings to Kurume city. Throughout his life, Shojiro Ishibashi devoted himself to Japan's educational and cultural development, including the construction of and subsequent donations to the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (1969) and the Japan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (1956), as well as the establishment of the Bridgestone Museum of Art (operated by the Ishibashi Foundation), which was opened to enable members of the public to enjoy his personal art collection.

Inheriting this benevolent spirit of our founder, we make the following pledge to Society in our corporate philosophy:

-Bring added benefit to the society through support for cultural activities and other public-interest undertakings. -Be proactive in working to protect and improve the global environment.

According to this pledge, the Bridgestone Group will contribute to realizing a better society through its social contribution activities as a good corporate citizen, in addition to the contribution it makes through its business operations.

Our corporate social contribution activities, including safety, the environment and community aspects, have been expanding throughout the world.

Also, we actively support employees who serve voluntarily within their local communities.

Framework for the Advancement of Social Contribution Activities

To facilitate smooth progress in the implementation of social contribution activities, we established a Social Activities Committee as a venue for the companywide, systematic consideration of these endeavors. The committee, which comprises corporate officers and managers from related functions, discusses and shares information on the overall direction of social contribution activities, including donations, and on their implementation. In August 2008, we strengthened our companywide social contribution activities support system with the establishment of a section dedicated to the further advancement of such activities.

Bridgestone also actively supports the social contribution activities of employees. For example, at Bridgestone Corporation, the company matches yen-for-yen contributions made by employees to the Chobora Fund, which uses its resources to provide support for employees and their families, and the company has established a leave system for employees involved in volunteer work and continues striving to support the volunteer activities of its employees. In addition, the company has established the Social Contribution Award, which is awarded to group companies and their employees in Japan, and the Bridgestone Group Award for Contribution to Society, which is awarded to group companies all over the world.