Giti Tire names first Chief Sustainability Officer

Singapore-based Giti Tire, one of the top global manufacturers of automotive tyres, has named Chong Hau Pang as its first Chief Sustainability Officer as it prepares to step up climate efforts.

Pang has been in the role since April 2023, but his appointment was only announced this week. According to him, this communication delay was a conscious decision to ensure “foundational efforts” were completed first.

Speaking to CSO Futures, he explained: “During the year, my primary focuses were establishing the sustainability governance organisation, setting and aligning corporate goals, developing a sustainability business model, implementing employee training programmes, and guiding the group through new regulations, among other tasks.”

Giti Tire sustainability targets and governance

Giti Tire, which employs around 30,000 people in 130 countries, is targeting a 30% reduction in Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 2030, as well as net zero operational emissions and a carbon-neutral supply chain by 2050 – targets that have not been verified by the SBTi. 

So far the company has only reported on Scope 1 and 2 emissions – which amounted to 440,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2022 – though it says it is “collecting data for Scope 3 and working towards including it in the future report [sic]”.

The company posted revenues of US$2.8 billion in 2022, ranking 12th among global peers. Its sustainability governance includes a board sustainability committee and a decentralised sustainability executive council for each country where it operates.

Recent disclosure progress

Pang previously led supply chain sustainability efforts at DBS Bank in Singapore, and comes from an engineering background.

Since his appointment as Chief Sustainability Officer, Giti has made progress in its sustainability disclosures, improving its Ecovadis rating from silver to gold and its CDP grade on climate change and supplier engagement to a B-. 

“These recognitions not only celebrate Giti’s current achievements but also serve as motivation to exceed sustainability targets for a lasting positive impact on the planet and to continue improving towards industry leadership through implementation of current best practices,” the company said in a release. 

As a Walmart supplier, it is also part of the retailer’s Project Gigaton – through which Walmart avoided one billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent in its supply chain in the past seven years. Within this programme, Giti ranked in the top 20% of Walmart suppliers for its efforts to reduce its environmental impacts.