100% renewable electricity in all EU operations in 2019

How did we achieve it?

The 100% renewable electricity usage could be achieved across all operations through a mix of:

• Encouraging renewable electricity production on Toyota sites in collaboration with local stakeholders (TPCE solar panelsOpens in new window, TMUK solar panelsOpens in new window, TMMF solar wallOpens in new window, Zeebrugge windmillOpens in new window, solar panels at Toyota Logistics Centre MadridOpens in new window,…)
• Purchasing of renewable electricity where available
• Purchasing of European Certificates (“Guarantee of Origin”) for EU countries as regulated by EU Directive 2009/28/EC
• Purchasing of I-REC (“International-Renewable Electricity Certificate”) for non-EU countries as recognized by the international I-REC standard

The achievement to decarbonise the electricity demand are in addition to Toyota’s on-going efforts to reduce overall energy consumption in its operations. For example, in our manufacturing plants, since 2013 (baseline year for Challenge 2050), the energy per car built has been reduced by 18%. In comparison to the EU28 industry average of 2.3 MWh energy per vehicle produced, Toyota required 48% less energy per vehicle produced.

Environmental sustainability has always been a priority for Toyota

Environmental matters have been discussed by Toyota top-management since 1963 when the Environmental Committee was established. Since 1973 the company promoted environmental awareness of its employees through Environmental Month. The company established a 5-Year action planning in 1992 to reduce its environmental footprint and conserve valuable resources for the planet; not only by reducing the environmental impact of automobiles, but also focusing on all related operations.

The Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 was announced in 2015. Building on previous environmental initiatives, it is the foundation of our long-term environmental targets. With six challenges covering every aspect of our business, we move beyond cars only. We commit to new and bold steps in the coming decades to go beyond zero environmental impact towards delivering positive environmental benefits in areas such as life cycle emissions, emissions from our manufacturing plants, water usage and many more.

Achieving 100% renewable electricity is contributing to the company’s targets for Challenge 2 (Lifecycle Zero CO2 Emissions) and Challenge 3 (Manufacturing Plant Zero CO2 Emissions), which aim to eliminate CO2 emissions of the entire vehicle lifecycle, including supporting operations and manufacturing plants.