Stakeholders Communication

The Bridgestone Group prioritizes engagement with stakeholders as it strives to understand their perspectives and to share its point-of-view as well. Learnings from stakeholders help inform the Group’s business activities as it continues to sustainably grow its business.

Communication activities of the Bridgestone Group

Stakeholder group	Main issues / Key topics	Uses and methods/opportunities of main dialogues	Frequency
Customers	Developing appealing products/services Providing timely response and support Providing appropriate information Effectively managing customer information	■ Boosting recognition of the Group’s activities and generating opportunities for co-creation ■ Reflecting customer feedback into products and services
		Responses to Customer Communication Center inquiries	daily
		Analysis, database compilation and internal utilization of customer input	timely
		Bridgestone Innovation Park's Bridgestone Innovation Gallery dedicated to Bridgestone history and innovation initiatives	timely
		Websites and social media	daily
		Daily sales and service activities (retail stores, dealer channels, online commerce)	daily
		Market research/Customer satisfaction survey	timely
		Auto shows and exhibitions	timely
Shareholders and Investors	Providing appropriate and timely information Maximizing corporate value	■ Dialogue-based IR activities and timely, appropriate information disclosure ■ Reflecting shareholder and investor perspectives/feedback into management and IR activities
		Annual Shareholders’ Meeting	annually
		Corporate Governance Report	annually
		Corporate Governance Code Report	biannually
		Financial results review meetings	timely
		Mid Term Business Plan (2021-2023) and progress updates	timely
		Investor relations website	daily
		Reports based on International Integrated Reporting Framework	annually
		Individual meetings with investors, and ESG dialogue with investors	timely
		Formulating and hosting a briefing on the 2030 Long Term Strategic Aspiration	Aug. 2022
		Communications at sustainability-related events	timely
Business Partners	Ensuring fair and impartial transactions Communicating Sustainable Procurement Policy	■ Promoting dialogue and mutual understanding to achieve sustainable procurement ■ Encouraging dialogue to improve on-site environments ■ Capacity building and supporting improved yields and income through dialogue with and education for smallholder farmers
		Daily procurement activities	daily
		Procurement policy explanatory forums/Sustainability seminars	biannually
		Global Sustainable Procurement Policy rollout	timely
Employees	Respecting human rights Promoting diversity and inclusion, including diverse working styles Developing and utilizing human resources Promoting occupational health and safety, and health and productivity management Facilitating mutual understanding between management and labor	■ Improving engagement through mutual understanding with employees ■ Objectively analyzing survey results and formulating and implementing action plans to improve workplace environments based on dialogue
		Bridgestone Code of Conduct, Global Human Rights Policy and Global Anti-Bribery Policy	timely
		Employee engagement survey	timely
		Personnel evaluation systems and career development consultation	timely
		Talent matching system (open-posting system and job-matching system)	timely
		Participation in The Valuable 500, promote appointment and recruitment of female managers	timely
		Meetings between labor and management	timely
		In-house newsletters and intranet	daily
		Town hall meetings	timely
		Bridgestone Group Awards and other reward systems	Award: annually
		Internal events related to the Olympic and Paralympic Games	timely
Local Communities, NGOs	Contributing to local communities Preserving local environments Supporting activities in locations with Bridgestone Group operating sites	■ Understanding issues in local communities, supporting solutions, and building trust
		Donations and social contribution activities	timely
		Facility tours	timely
		Environmental and safety education activities	timely
		Sponsorship and aid for local events	timely
		Disaster relief and reconstruction support	timely
		Dialogue and collaborations with NGOs	timely
Government Agencies, Industry Organizations and Educational Institutions	Contributing to the development of a safe and reliable mobile society Supporting education activities Participating in industry economic impact studies and supply chain assessments	■ Promoting and supporting the formulation of industry standards ■ Revising policy guidelines in line with social and industry trends
		Trade association memberships, committees and conferences	timely
		Dialogue and collaborations with economic and industry organizations	timely
		Dialogue with government representatives	timely
		Participation in global initiatives on sustainability and environment such as the Tire Industry Project operated under the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber, Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures, and Business for Nature	timely
		Interaction and exchanges of opinion with municipal government agencies	timely
		Communication, coordination, and support of industry-government-academia partnerships	timely

Establishing and enhancing communication structures

CES 2023: Showcasing the vision for sustainable mobility

CES is the world’s preeminent gathering place for market leaders in technology, and Bridgestone was proud to return to the show floor in 2023 to collaborate with likeminded thought leaders and immerse attendees in our vision for creating a more sustainable future through mobility solutions.

The delivery of sustainable mobility requires each stage of the tire and rubber product’s life—from manufacturing and ownership to maintenance and end-of-life material circularity—to consider the most responsible processes and tools for each step. At CES, Bridgestone demonstrated its vision of vehicle management experience with the ultimate goal of carbon-neutral transportation in the future.

Throughout the show, the Group met with current and potential partners and customers in order to discuss ways the Group can support their current business needs through our sustainable solutions, while also collaborating on opportunities to lead the future of sustainable mobility together, providing both social and customer value.

Bridgestone plans to continue to share, collaborate, learn and co-create in order to continue to lead the future of mobility.

An active role in industrial initiatives

The Group takes the environmental and social impact of the tire industry seriously and play a leading role in building knowledge and establishing industry standards to better address the challenges facing the industry as a whole.

For more information on the Group's engagement and initiatives with external organizations, see “Partnerships and Collaboration with External Organizations.”

Dialogue-based IR activities and timely, appropriate information disclosure

“Toward 2050, Bridgestone continues to provide social value and customer value as a sustainable solutions company.” To achieve this vision, the Group is moving forward with the implementation of medium- to long-term business strategies which places sustainability at the core of management. Through quarterly financial briefings and other platforms, the Group provides regular reports on the progress of our medium- to long-term business plans. Further, the Group understands that building mutual relationships of trust with analysts and investors is of paramount importance. The Group therefore takes advantage of the ideas and opinions that the Group obtains through dialogue with these analysts and investors in our management strategies and IR activities.

At Bridgestone, in addition to Corporate Sustainability division, which promotes the integration of our management strategies, business activities and corporate culture with sustainability issues the Group is facing, the Group newly sets up the IR Financial Affairs Reporting and Planning Section to strengthen the organizations structure to respond to increasing investors interests in sustainability related issues. Through these organizations, the Group is improving our dialogue with institutional investors on our approach to sustainability issues and the management strategies that will allow us to achieve sustainable growth alongside our customers and society.

In June 2022, the Group published our first integrated report. This ensured timely and appropriate information disclosure through unique value creation stories that balanced sustainability and business. As a result, in addition to ESG perspective, the Group was able to exchange ideas with institutional investors on their requests and expectations as the Group seeks to grow as a sustainable solutions company. The requests and expectations of these institutional investors were relayed back to management, leading to discussions on how to link their ideas to future value creation, as well as concrete action.

The Group also received positive feedback on our IR improvements and comments on future expectations for the Company through individual investor meetings. The Group believes that positive, objective feedback from external parties helps us to develop as a strong and resilient Bridgestone.

Direct communication with customers and the general public

The Bridgestone Customer Communication Center gathers and analyzes customer impressions from inquiries and comments as well as assessments from the Internet and disseminates this information internally to corporate officers and other employees. This leads to improved products and services, while the Group reports are used in an attempt to increase employee motivation. Bridgestone is also focusing efforts on communicating Company activities in an easily understandable way to customers and the general public using the Internet and other digital forms of communication incorporating images and video.

Facility tours for the general public

Bridgestone offers tire plant tours to the general public in Japan. Visitors can see how tires are made and how the Company contributes to environmental conservation throughout the manufacturing process.