From Ecopedia

Overview

Japan-based Toyota Group is a globally leading conglomerate, made up of Toyota Industries and Toyota Motor Corporation, which includes Toyota Financial Services. Toyota’s headquarters are located in Tokyo’s Toyota City, in Aichi.

Founded in 1937 by Kiichiro Toyoda, Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota Motors) is a multinational company engaged in automobile manufacturing, besides providing financial services through the company’s divisionary unit, Toyota Financial Services. Apart from offering financial services, Toyota Financial Services is also involved in building robots.

The Type A engine, Toyota’s first product, was created in 1934, while the Toyota AA, the first passenger car of the company was launched in 1936.

Popular Toyota Brands

At present Toyota Motors owns as well as operates the popular Scion and Lexus brands. In 1997, the company launched an eco-friendly hybrid car, Prius, which eventually became the top-selling hybrid car in the US.

Toyota Motors ventured into plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) manufacturing with Toyota Plug-in HV, which is in the testing stage. For powering the plug-in, environment-friendly lithium-ion batteries are utilized.

Additionally, Toyota Motors is also accelerating the development of fully-electric automobiles (e-com) that run on electricity alone.

With a workforce of over 320,000, Toyota Motors is currently the global leader in automobile manufacturing.

Environmental Information

Toyota Motors’s commitment to environment is expressed through the company’s Global 2020 Vision and The Toyota Way, both highlighting the company’s philosophy on environment.

Global 2020 Vision

In an effort to minimize the company’s footprint on the environment, Toyota came up with the Global 2020 Vision.

Global 2020 Vision aids in achieving harmony between the cycle of nature and the industrial cycle through significant reductions in the company’s water consumption levels, gas emissions as well as waste disposal. Global 2020 Vision also sets to realize and implement production practices that promote recycling as well as reuse of material.

Global 2020 Vision applies to all the company’s operations across the nations.

The Toyota Way

Toyota’s environmental philosophy and commitment is expressed through The Toyota Way, which extends across the entire company operations as well as through Toyota product lifecycles.

Environmental Achievements

Toyota Motors introduced an eco-friendly third generation version of Prius, which is characterized by an optional rooftop-mount solar panel for maximizing the solar power and enhance fuel efficiency.

Lexus HS 250h, introduced by the company included eco-friendly ecological plastics for the vehicle interiors. To attend to the company’s electric needs, Toyota installed a large array of solar panels across certain Toyota facilities in the US to ensure minimal emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

Installation of paint systems with water-borne qualities at the company-owned facilities in Woodstock, Indiana and Princeton, led to considerable reduction in VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) emissions.

Toyota Motors undertook a long-term Environmental Action Plan (EAP) to illustrate the company’s efforts in implementing the Global 2020 Vision and addressing the challenges faced on the path of achieving sustainable mobility.

Environment-friendly hybrids

Recognizing the role of hybrid vehicles in minimizing the global ecological footprint, Toyota Motors introduced an innovative fleet of hybrids into the international market.

Hybrid vehicles, by aiding in achieving enhanced fuel efficiency, reduced tailpipe emissions for certain criteria pollutants as well as Carbon dioxide, significantly reduce environmental impacts of mobility. Together, Lexus and Toyota own seven fully hybrid vehicles. Ever since the introduction of the first Prius vehicle in 1997, Toyota managed to achieve over 2 million sales of the hybrids. Toyota Prius is the flagship of the company’s hybrid technology.

Plug-in Hybrids

Compared to the existing hybrids, The PHEVs (plug-in hybrid electric vehicles) launched by the Toyota Motors managed to attain smaller environmental footprint through enhanced fuel efficiency, reduced fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

Regular recharging of the vehicles could also assure significant reductions in gasoline consumption as well as criteria pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs).

The first plug-in prototype of the company, based on the Prius 2008 model, demonstrates Hybrid Synergy Drive’s (HSD’s) flexibility. The smart blending of both the electric and gasoline power of the HSD system, Toyota Motors offers a cleaner hybrid technology.

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, possessing eco-friendly features powers the new PHVs.

Presently, a fully-electric vehicle (EV) of the Toyota Motors, with more advanced features, is slated for release in 2012.

Non-petroleum Fuels Power the Vehicles

In an effort to create a smaller carbon footprint, Toyota Motors is relying more on alternative fuels and less on petroleum for powering the vehicles.

Non-petroleum fuels such as biofuels and hydrogen apart from electricity are rich sources of renewable energy contributing to lowered greenhouse gas emissions and sustainable mobility.

Participation in Global Effort for Limiting GHG Emissions

Keeping in line with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Toyota Motors initiated the process for regulating the development of the first-ever standards for GHG vehicular emissions.

ONP Agreement

In partnership with the federal government of the US and California, Toyota Motors agreed to work towards a One National program (ONP) for achieving fuel economy as well as GHG standards.

The agreement is intended to enable manufacturers maintain a single technology development as well as deployment plan for future releases in the US.

Global Recognitions

In recognition of the company’s efforts in creating a smaller environmental footprint, several awards were conferred on the company including, the Energy Star Sustained Excellence Award, conferred by the USEPA and the US department of energy in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota http://www.toyota.com/about/environment/ http://www.toyota.com/about/environmentreport2009/ http://www.toyota.com/about/environmentreport2009/01_enviro_vision.html