Liberty Tire Recycling Advances Sustainability Goals

2023 ESG Report demonstrate progress

Liberty Tire Recycling’s 2023 ESG Report recounts Liberty’s achievements in reducing its environmental impact, promoting social responsibility, and maintaining strong governance practices.  Released last month, the report highlights the company’s significant progress in advancing its sustainability commitments.

Liberty diverted nearly 80 percent of collected tires from landfills in 2023—recycling more than 1.5 million metric tons of material—exceeding the industry average and moving closer to its goal of zero waste by 2030.   In 2023, Liberty collected 10,000,000 more tires and still increased its recovery rate from 74.4 percent to 78.4 percent, the report said.

“We are proud of the progress we made in 2023 toward our ESG goals,” Thomas Womble, CEO of Liberty Tire Recycling, said.  “Sustainability is at the core of our business, and we are committed to leading the tire recycling industry in responsible and innovative practices.”

Aiming for a reduced carbon footprint, Liberty implemented energy efficiency measures, optimized its fleet operations, and developed a water conservation strategy.

Fleet route optimization resulted in reduced mileage at Liberty’s Hebron, Ohio and Northern California sites.  In Hebron, the program eliminated 214,503 miles traveled delivering material by moving the operation closer to the collection and processing location.  In Northern California, Liberty eliminated 1.1M annualized miles traveled by shifting its production location, reducing daily loads by 75 percent on a single route.

Central to Liberty’s ESG agenda is the commitment to assuring safety throughout its operations. Since 2010, Liberty achieved a 62 percent decrease in OSHA recordable incidents and maintained zero OSHA violations across all locations in 2023.

Liberty credits the shared efforts of leadership, the regional safety teams, site-specific safety managers and a focus on safety by all employees, with the company’s continued improvement in 2023 for recordable and lost time incidents and finishing the year with zero OSHA violations across all its locations.

In its mission and vision statement, Liberty emphasizes the importance of community engagement: in fostering strong relationships, building trust, and sharing mutual benefits. Liberty partners with communities on several levels. In 2023 the company participated in over 500 community cleanup events collecting 29,050 tons of end-of-life tires from the communities, preventing tires from being illegally dumped or improperly disposed.

In 2023, Liberty launched a new charitable initiative, a company-wide committee, Liberty Cares, comprised of 24 employees of all levels from around the U.S. and Canada. Liberty Cares to develop and implement quarterly company-wide employee engagement and volunteer events, including non-profit partnerships, community outreach events, and employee wellness activities.

Liberty Learning enhances employee performance by handling the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of training courses. It was piloted at 8 sites in 2022, rolled out to an additional 19 sites in 2023 and will be fully implemented company-wide by the end of 2024. The system offers courses in both English and Spanish on topics such as safety, human resources and legal concepts.

Continuous learning and the safety of employees is a priority across Liberty Tire Recycling. In 2022, the company developed a comprehensive learning management system called Liberty Learning Liberty designed to enhance employee performance by handling the administration, documentation, tracking, reporting, and delivery of training courses. It was piloted at 8 sites in 2022, rolled out to an additional 19 sites in 2023 and will be fully implemented company-wide by the end of 2024. The system offers courses in both English and Spanish on topics such as safety, human resources and legal concepts.

Committed to running the type of company that attracts the best talent, fosters an environment where they can grow, and keep them safe each and every day,

Liberty values employee tenure and the extensive experience, industry knowledge, mentorship, and strong relationships it brings to the company. over 40 percent of Liberty’s corporate and plant managers have been with the company for more than ten years, far exceeding the U.S. average of 27 percent. “We believe tenure embodies our ESG values: a safe work environment, engaged employees, a thriving business, and policies that promote fairness, inclusion, and accountability.

In 2023, Liberty made strategic acquisitions, invested in new facilities, and expanded processing. capabilities to meet growing demand and enhance sustainability across the country

The company built a new 130,000 square foot recycled rubber mulch facility in Hebron, Ohio that began producing products in 2023.

Liberty also acquired two new operations in the fast-growing Central Florida market that will allow Liberty to optimize our collection routes, reduce fuel consumption and lower emissions, and keep more end-of-life tires out of landfills.

Its Jackson, Georgia facility was upgraded with advanced processing equipment, increasing scrap tires into valuable crumb rubber for various applications including sports surfacing, industrial mats, flooring and other molded products.

Looking to the future, Liberty broke ground on a new facility in Puyallup, Washington to better serve existing customers and expand into new markets in the region.

Summarizing why ESG principles are at the core of Liberty’s growth now and in the  future, CEO Thomas Womble said “Investors and customers have made it clear that they want tire manufacturers and retailers to continue to make progress on sustainability. We are the natural partner to help them manage their end-of-life tires and support them as they move towards a circular recycling system.”

© Scrap Tire News, October 2024