Toyota expands a public forest to create biodiverse oasis

Young forest to grow into a 8.5 hectare biodiverse oasis

The volunteers braved the cold to plant more than 2,000 trees and shrubs of diverse species in Zavelbos. The newly planted area will reinforce the forest’s edge and boost its biodiversity. In addition an orchard of local fruit trees will be planted along with a dog meadow of 1.2 hectares and a BMX track. The young forest of over 6 hectares will soon become a 8.5 hectare oasis for everyone. TME will support the forest’s maintenance at least until 2027.

Simply our duty

Many know Toyota as car manufacturing company, but we also see ourselves as citizens of the community where we operate. It is our duty to conserve resources and manage our ecological footprint in the interest of future generations. Environmental initiatives are nothing new to Toyota - we have been doing various activities since the 1960s.

Going beyond zero carbon with Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050

In 2015 Toyota formulated the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050. Through this initiative, we aim to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve carbon neutrality globally for our vehicles and operations - a very important goal. But Toyota’s sustainability vision does not stop there. We also want to improve the way we use water, develop new technologies for recycling of vehicles that have reached end-of-life, and, support our society live in harmony with nature. Seven years on, Toyota members in Europe have been constantly making efforts to reduce the footprint of our business and create positive impact on top.

Start Your Impossible

It was not an easy choice to spend a winter’s day planting a forest - and on a Saturday. But each willing participant was happy to be part of something where we believe it will improve the environment and the community.

At Toyota, we call this mindset “Start Your Impossible”. We have been promoting it amongst all our employees since Toyota became the Worldwide Mobility partner of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2015. Just like the Toyota Forest project, the spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games resonates with our vision – to create a sustainable, inclusive society where everyone can pursue their potential. Each of us can bring positive changes by challenging ourselves - as athletes who continuously try to perform better. We would like to say special thanks to all our partners and stakeholders for allowing us to “start this impossible”.

The first tree planted by Toyota was baptised ‘Symbol of Toyota Forest’. The first specimen tree was planted by the VIP’s to recognise all Toyota members’ efforts on their progress towards the 2050 challenges since 2015.

“Together with our community and partners, we will continue our efforts to make things better - on behalf of Mother Earth.”

Gerald Killmann, Senior Vice President Purchasing and R&D, Toyota Motor Europe