Every journey has a starting point, and Bridgestone’s started with our foundational commitment to serve society with superior quality. Our founder believed that what is good for society is also good for business, and with that as our foundation we became the largest tire and rubber company in the world. With time, the road and terrain changed, and we learned we must evolve beyond tires and do so with care, confidence, and creativity to better serve a world in motion. Caring for our world means pioneering sustainable solutions that will not just get this generation down the road but future generations. Diversity, equity, and inclusion is at the heart of our evolution and helps us attract, retain, develop, and promote teammates who understand the diverse needs of our customer and world. It is also a pivotal element in a caring and genuine culture that helps our teammates, customers, and communities thrive.
Using the critical lessons from our starting point, we knew we needed a destination worth the journey, so we created an aspirational, yet achievable, mission to cultivate an even more inclusive culture where teammates are Free to Be their whole selves. We welcome our teammates as they are and empower them to do impactful work with the freedom to pursue a variety of the diverse and unique experiences Bridgestone can offer. We communicate with transparency and frequency to bring everyone along on the journey and create accountability and commitment at all levels.
We have embraced the challenges and opportunities that accompany this journey, and in response, established a dedicated DE&I Center of Excellence to chart the way and hold the company accountable to foster purposeful progress.
Our DE&I commitments and framework center on three core areas:
- Our Workplace – creating an equitable experience for underrepresented groups and an inclusive experience for all.
- Our Workforce– focusing on the retention, recruitment, and advancement of underrepresented groups.
- Our Marketplace – doing meaningful business with underrepresented groups in our supplier network that will make a more equitable impact and supporting organizations that advance more equitable opportunities in the communities in which we live, work and play.
In January, we released the second edition of our DE&I annual report to create awareness and drive accountability. I am incredibly proud of the strides we have made to cultivate a more inclusive culture and equally proud of our commitment to recognizing and doing the work that is needed to continue making meaningful progress today, tomorrow, and together.
In 2022, we engaged with organizations like the National Society of Black Engineers and Society of Women Engineers to build a pipeline for underrepresented groups in key engineering roles. We made progress in increasing representation at almost every level for women, underrepresented racial groups, and women of color. Five thousand U.S. teammates completed implicit bias education last year, and we piloted a course called “Conscious Conflict” that builds upon Implicit Bias and Empathy and teaches participants how to intervene or mitigate bias as it is happening and restore trust. As a result of efforts like these, our annual engagement survey showed that 82% of teammates feel free to be themselves at work.
The journey is our solution; each stride we make moves our company, our culture, and our world with world ahead. It honors our history and continues to build our legacy with diversity, equity, and inclusion at its core. Although our work is far from over, we have made a commitment, as a company, to stay the course and travel the distance. Each day, we are working relentlessly to seek solutions for every teammate to be their best, brightest, and whole self at work. We are just scratching the surface, but when we come together, we can accelerate progress and achieve what may have seemed unachievable. We can and will build a more equitable world together because that is what really matters.
