11/30/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/30/2021 07:19
Since its foundation, Toyota has handed down the Five Main Principles of Toyoda, and has been working on environmental initiatives since the 1960s. In 2015, the year when the Paris Agreement was adopted at COP21*, Toyota announced the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, a long-term initiative regarding the global environment until 2050.
On the other hand, from a global perspective, people's awareness of climate change is rising more than ever due to the damages caused by natural disasters including heat waves, floods, large typhoons and droughts in various regions. Many issues that threatens the lives of people all over the world relates to each other in a complex way. To solve these issues, the world started moving to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Toyota also needs to change. For a sustainable future beyond 2030, Toyota will never stop challenging. Based on the idea that our challenges will also lead to solve various issues, we will accelerate our environmental initiatives.
* | The 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change |
Forests are an important basis of the local community and society. Toyota is dealing with the issues and backgrounds of the forest, and is working on creating sustainable forests through various activities.
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Toyota is globally conducting various measures to achieve carbon neutrality at all plants by 2035.
In September 2021, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA), our regional headquarters in North America, signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA)1 with Clearway Energy Group (Clearway). TMNA will support Clearway's Wildflower Solar project (100MW) in Mississippi which is scheduled to begin operation in 2023, and purchase 80MW of the electricity the project will generate. This electricity output is expected to cover annual electricity consumption of approximately 15,000 average households2 in the U.S. As a side note, besides this solar project, TMNA signed its first VPPA in 2020 with Clearway for the Black Rock wind farm (110MW) now nearing completion in West Virginia. The VPPA will contribute hugely to realize carbon neutrality at all Toyota plants in the U.S.
TMNA is also focusing on on-site renewable energy generation, such as by installing solar panels in its headquarters, and has been identified as one of the top 20 corporate users of installed onsite solar capacity in the U.S., according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
In order to achieve carbon neutrality, TMNA will continue active introduction of renewable electricity at its plants.
1Virtual Power Purchase Agreement: A long-term contract between a developer of renewable energy projects and an energy buyer to acquire renewable energy certificates
2Calculated from 10,715 kWh (average annual electricity for a U.S. residential utility customer in 2020 according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration)
The loss of biodiversity is increasing worldwide and becoming more severe, mainly due to extinction caused by deforestation and marine pollution.
Toyota Motor Thailand (TMT) Ban Pho Plant is working on various activities as a model of a sustainable plant since 2008. TMT built an Eco Forest and Biotope on its 9.6-hectare conservation area located within the plant site. In June 2016, TMT launched a Biodiversity and Sustainability Learning Center "Cheewa Panavet*," and it has been visited by more than 45,000 people (mainly elementary school children in Thailand). Currently, teaching activities are continuing through online media due to the effect of COVID-19.
Also, TMT is conducting ecosystem assessments in the conservation area, by selecting indicator species and evaluating their habitat status in cooperation with experts from universities and NGOs. As part of its measures, it built a wetland in the area to create a feeding and nesting habitat for the Asian Golden Weaver, classified as Near Threatened. Since 2019, this native bird returned to the Ban Pho Plant, and TMT was able to confirm 10 chicks fledged from the area in 2021.
TMT will continue further habitat maintenance and promote development of a "Plant in Harmony with Nature."
*Cheewa Panavet: A combination of three Thai words, cheewa (life),pana (forest)and vet (habitat)
At the Toyota Technical Center Shimoyama, a new R&D center, we are conducting various measures with the aim of a "technical center in harmony with nature and local communities." As part of its measures, we presented our conservation activities for the Grey-faced Buzzard at the International Summit on Grey-faced Buzzard 2021 Miyakojima held in October.
The Grey-faced Buzzard is a migratory raptor, whose size is a bit smaller than a crow. It comes to Japan from spring to early summer for breeding from South-east Asia. We used to see them in our familiar environment, but currently they are threatened with extinction due to decline in the number caused by habitat loss and other issues.
The International Summit on Grey-faced Buzzard has been held since 2019 as a platform for discussion to the future of the Grey-faced Buzzard and local residents. This was the second summit in Japan, and in addition to presentations on conservation activities made by participants including Toyota, they shared their experiences and held active discussions.
We will continuously conduct Harmony with Nature activities, such as through the Grey-faced Buzzard conservation, and promote these activities to realize a "Plant in Harmony with Nature."