Yokohama Provides Funds for Employee Volunteers

2011 Tōhoku earthquake damage and effects in Ishinomaki, Miyagi.
Photo by Akira Kouchiyama, Save the Children Canada
Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

Based in Japan, the Yokohama Rubber Company produces tires, wheels, industrial supplies, and sporting equipment (including golf clubs!).

The company's volunteers are undertaking a number of volunteer projects in their region, many focusing on the needs still remaining after the 2011 tsunami. Between October 2011 and February 2012, 60 Yokohama employees supported disaster recovery efforts, and the company provided in-kind donations. Since then, employees have continued their support by providing both monetary donations and labor for restoration work.


The recently announced efforts include tree planting to support the green belt as well as other beautification projects and possibly events contributing to child well-being and elder care. As I understand the funding structure in the United States, employee volunteer activities are paid through a separate CSR budget or funds come out of marketing or human resources. Yokohama's employee volunteer activities are unusual in that they are being funded by an anonymous donation of more than $49,000. I am so curious! Where the funds provided by a company insider who wanted to influence or promote employee volunteerism? Or, if from citizens or the government, why donate to a corporation instead of an NGO?

Yokohama Tires
Photo by Tino Rossini
Photo licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license

This is the first time I've profiled a Japanese company, and it was fascinating to browse their dedicated corporate social responsibility (CSR) website. To me, it has a bit of a different feel than CSR websites generated by Western companies. One difference is the amount exposition on the site which I am initially attributing to Japan being a high-text culture. The content of the writing feels different, too.

I found the story about Yokohama's employee volunteers on TireBusiness.Com, which sent me to the company website to find out more. Despite the extensive material on the CSR website, I found only brief mentions of employees' involvement in the Forever Forest project, and nothing about these recent volunteer activities which is interesting in terms of how these events are conceptualized and publicized versus in the United States.

Regardless, these efforts help Yokohama Rubber Company achieve its mission: