Goodyear posts dip in energy & emissions performance across global sites

Akron, Ohio – Goodyear has seen a marked year-on-year increase in energy-intensity* across its manufacturing sites worldwide, its newly issued 2023 Corporate Responsibility Report shows.

Group-wide global energy-intensity rose to 6,968BTU/lb last year, compared to 6,750BTU/lb and 6,717BTU/lb in 2022 and 2021 respectively, according to the report published 27 June.

The group did not include commentary on the trend, which came despite energy-saving initiatives that – from a 2019 baseline - delivered reductions of 1,844,000 gigajoules by the end of 2023.

Goodyear registered a somewhat more positive development in its figures for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions intensity, including CO2, CH4 and N2O, at manufacturing sites only.

Global GHG emissions intensity – Scope 1 and Scope 2 – came in at 0.563 tonnes CO2 e/ton, the same figure as reported for 2022 - following a significant reduction from 0.646 tonnes CO2 e/ton in 2021.

The latest figures brought the Akron group’s reduction in absolute Scope 1 & 2 emissions as a direct result of reduction initiatives and 'changes in production' to 709,000 tonnes CO2 e, from a 2019 baseline.

For 2023, Goodyear reported savings worth $18 million from energy-efficiency programmes, including on equipment such as boilers, chillers and air compressors as well as air- and steam-leak detection schemes.

Meanwhile, the group last year progressed a renewable electricity strategy, which includes onsite generation, power-purchase agreements, green tariffs and energy attribute certificates.

Goodyear said all of its EMEA region plants are now operating with 100% renewable electricity, as are its manufacturing units in Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

At the end of 2023, the group said it was using 37% renewable electricity globally and was “on target to reach 100% renewable electricity at all its manufacturing facilities by 2030.”

*Energy-intensity at Goodyear tire and chemical manufacturing facilities as measured through its global data management system. ‘Energy-intensity ratio’ is calculated using total finished production and includes all sources of energy used in the manufacturing process, including purchased electricity, generated electricity, purchased steam, natural gas, fuel oil, propane, diesel, gasoline, waste fuel, pet coke, coal and biomass. Goodyear’s 2023 Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions data was third-party verified by LRQA.