The world’s largest rooftop solar panel installation¹ on a single facility, measuring 100,000 square metres - the size of over 18 football pitches - is under construction for Falken at parent company, Sumitomo Rubber Industries (SRI) factory in Thailand.

Comprising 40,000 solar panels with a total output of 22MW, the new installation will generate enough solar power to support manufacturing a range of Falken tyres destined for Europe, once completed in January 2025. The investment in the new solar panel installation, along with gas co-generation system and biomass electric power system energy initiatives at the Rayong Province facility will enable it ultimately to use 100 percent renewable energyᵌ.

As well as adopting solar power, a new gas co-generation system, comprising two 6.6MW boilers, powered by renewable energy sources, will replace energy supplied by local utility companies. Biomass, derived from the surplus branches and trunks after rubber trees are harvested, as part of SRI’s Sustainable Natural Rubber⁴ programme, will provide additional electrical power.

In total, the new initiatives will reduce total annual CO2 emissions by 38,000 tonnes.²

Driven by SRI’s long-term sustainability policy, ‘Driving Our Future Challenge 2050⁵’ the latest initiatives will help accelerate its carbon neutral goals. This aims to reduce annual Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by 50 percent (compared to 2017 emissions) with its 2030 target now set to be achievable one year ahead of schedule. 

Falken Tyre Europe
Falken Tyre Europe GmbH is the European affiliate of Japanese tyre manufacturer Sumitomo Rubber Industries Ltd. (SRI). With more than 40,000 employees, it is the fifth largest tyre manufacturer worldwide. Tyre production is distributed over 12 production facilities, with more than 116 million tyres sold per year. The Falken brand was established in Japan in 1983; in 1988 the first branch office was opened in Germany. From its location in Offenbach, Main, the company markets and sells a complete tyre portfolio for passenger cars, trucks, pick-ups and SUVs as original equipment and for the entire European retrofitting market. More than 220 people from 24 nations work for Falken Tyre Europe, and a distribution network of approx. 8,000 tyre partners across Europe handle the sale and fitting of its premium products. All Falken factories comply with the ISO 9001, IATF 16949 as well as environmental standard ISO14001.

For more information visit www.falkentyre.com