The Toyota Circular Factory (TCF) brings together Toyota Motor Europe’s recycling and circularity activities for one clear purpose: giving end‑of‑life vehicles a responsible, efficient, and valuable second life.
Toyota Circular Factory
Old cars, new purpose
A new standard for end‑of‑life vehicle processing
TCF’s approach reduces waste and limits the use of virgin materials by focusing on three key areas: re‑usable parts, commodity items suitable for re‑manufacturing, and materials that can be effectively recycled. Through these efforts, Toyota aims to steadily improve resource efficiency and support the broader shift toward a more sustainable, circular automotive industry.
The Toyota Circular Factory introduces a systematic, highly controlled approach to dismantling and processing end‑of‑life vehicles. This Toyota Motor Europe (TME) initiative focuses on three key areas:
1. Re‑usable parts
- Components undergo a comprehensive validation process.
- Approved parts are returned to the market through retailers and parts distributors.
2. Commodity items for re‑manufacturing
- Items such as batteries and wheels are assessed for their potential to be re‑manufactured, re‑purposed, or recycled.
3. Recycled raw materials
- Toyota recovers key materials including copper, aluminium, steel, and plastics.
- These materials aim to replace virgin raw materials in future vehicle production.
First Toyota Circular Factory: Burnaston, UK
The first Toyota Circular Factory site began operations in August 2025 at Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) in Burnaston.
Annual processing capacity
In its first phase, the UK facility will process approximately:
- 10,000 vehicles per year
- 120,000 re‑usable parts
- 300 tonnes of high‑purity plastic
- 8,200 tonnes of steel, among other valuable materials.
This site is positioned to become the centre of excellence for global and European recycling operations, operating alongside TMUK’s primary production of Toyota Corolla vehicles.
Second Circular Factory: Walbrzych, Poland.
Announced in February 2026, TME has announced the establishment of its newest Circular Factory in Walbrzych, Poland. The facility will cover 25,000 square metres and process close to 20,000 End-Of-Life vehicles every year.
Future expansion across Europe and beyond
Toyota plans to continue its expansion, opening other TCF across the European region. This includes:
- Collaborations with like‑minded partner organisations
- Exporting the centre of excellence model to additional facilities
- Scaling circular operations to support Toyota’s broader sustainability goals.
“We initially anticipate recycling around 10,000 vehicles a year in our UK facility. As a next step for the Toyota Circular Factory concept, we plan to roll out similar operations across Europe. And we’re not stopping at our own facilities – we are eager to collaborate with other organisations who share our passion for circularity and commitment to carbon neutrality.”
Leon van der Merwe, Vice President of Circular Economy, TME
Commitment to carbon neutrality
TCF is a central pillar in Toyota’s wider sustainability strategy, which includes:
- Carbon neutrality in all TME-owned facilities by 2030
- 100% CO₂ reduction across Toyota’s European product line-up by 2035
- Full carbon neutrality for Toyota Motor Europe by 2040.
By recovering materials and reducing dependency on virgin resources, the Toyota Circular Factory significantly lowers the environmental impact of vehicle manufacturing.