Toyota Takes Big Steps Towards a Smaller Carbon Footprints

Carbon Trust certifies continued carbon reduction success at Toyota GB’s headquarters

BURGH HEATH, EPSOM, UK -- December 19, 2014: Toyota’s commitment to building cleaner cars is matched by its determination to cut the carbon footprint of its business operations. Toyota GB’s programme to lower carbon emissions at its headquarters building has gained official recognition from the Carbon Trust.

Through the re-certification process, Toyota GB achieved an assessment score of 85 per cent, making it the highest-scoring business in its sector in the UK in terms of effective governance, carbon accounting and carbon management.

Previously, Toyota GB’s certification took into account several of its sites around the UK, locations where significant gains were achieved through new energy-efficient systems and processes. The latest assessment focuses exclusively on the company’s office premises in Surrey, making the challenge to deliver further reductions greater. Nonetheless, implementation of a detailed programme of measures has further reduced the site’s carbon footprint by 2.6 per cent since March 2012.

Measures contributing to this include the installation of low-energy LED lights, manufactured by another Toyota group company, Toyoda Gosei.

The focus on delivering low carbon operations forms part of Toyota’s wider programme reducing the environmental impact of its business, promoting environmental awareness and working to improve the natural surroundings of its office and factory premises.

Activities at Toyota GB’s headquarters include an annual Green Month in June, in which staff are encouraged to take part in activities and share ideas for best practice, both within the company and in their homes and local communities.

The Burgh Heath headquarters is also undergoing a major re-landscaping and planting project in which Toyota is working in an industry-first partnership with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to encourage biodiversity and the nurturing of native plant and animal species. This forms part of a larger corporate programme in which Kew’s experts are also contributing to new landscape and planting designs for Toyota Manufacturing UK’s vehicle factory in Derbyshire and Toyota Motor Europe’s offices in Brussels.

Darran Messem, the Carbon Trust’s Managing Director of Certification, said: “Since it first received the Carbon Trust Standard in 2010, Toyota GB has remained fully committed to driving forward ambitious programmes of carbon reduction activity. This has resulted in successful re-certification not once, but twice. This demonstrates that its commitment to emission reduction goes right to the heart of the organisation.”

Thomas Rosselle, Toyota Manager, Corporate Planning and CSR, said: “We’re delighted to receive the new certification from the Carbon Trust, it is further tangible evidence of the continuous improvements we are making in our wide-ranging environmental programme. This is more than just getting the figures right, we also strive to engage awareness among our staff, and in the wider communities where we work.”