Apollo Tyres has outlined its environmental, economic and social commitment to ensure a sustainable natural rubber supply chain, working closely with its supply chain partners.
The Apollo Tyres’ Partnership Pact, which has been in place since 2008, provides help and support to members to integrate relevant policies and processes related to the environment, occupational health and safety, human rights and labor laws into their business and decision-making processes.
This further extends the use of environmentally responsible practices for growing natural rubber within the overall supply chain network.
Along with laying down clear processes to safeguard the environment, Apollo Tyres was the first company worldwide to provide training in sheet rubber grading and to empower the women in an area which was hitherto male dominated.
The tire maker has also established a rubber sheet making unit for the rubber tappers’ wives in Kottayam, Kerala in India. The women running this unit were trained by Apollo Tyres in association with the Rubber Board of India, on rubber tapping, sheet making, sheet smoking and general entrepreneurial skills. They have also been linked to the rubber dealers to directly market their produce from this unit.
The company plans to replicate this model soon, which will empower more women, and at the same time, help with getting better quality rubber sheets.
In the last two years, Apollo Tyres has reached out to nearly 600 women in Kottayam, who had very little or no income, and provided them with alternate sources of livelihood. These women have been trained in jackfruit processing, mushroom cultivation, aqua culture, organic farming and apiculture.
In addition, the company has been providing healthcare facilities by conducting regular health camps and specialized cancer screening camps for around 500 rubber tapper’s families.
