09/06/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/06/2021 21:58
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.
Click here for further details(Japanese only)
Toyota is conducting various activities at its plants to realize a 'Plant in Harmony with Nature.' As one of such activities, we are working to conserve the little terns.
Little terns are migratory birds that come to Japan from spring to summer for breeding. They nest in colonies on landfills and sandy beaches. We used to see them in our familiar environment, but currently they are threatened with extinction due to the decrease in breeding habitat.
For this reason in 2017, at the Kinuura Plant located in the coastal zone, we started maintenance of its unused land, and created sandy places to provide nesting sites. Up until now, fledging of the little tern chicks was seen only once in 2018 due to predator attacks and other issues. But by setting electric fences to protect the chicks from predators in 2021, we were able to confirm 10 chicks fledge from the site.
Furthermore, under the direction of experts, this activity is conducted in cooperation with the Toyota Group companies nearby, and we are also implementing breeding season surveys and opinion exchange meetings on a regular basis.
We will continuously conduct Harmony with Nature activities, such as through the little tern conservation project, and promote these activities to realize a 'Plant in Harmony with Nature.'
Introduction of activity (Japanese only)
The loss of biodiversity is increasing worldwide and becoming more severe, mainly due to extinction caused by deforestation and marine pollution.
In June 2021, Toyota Argentina SA (TASA) built a 1-hectare lagoon on its 21-hectare Toyota―Zárate Natural Reserve located within the Zárate Plant site.
The lagoon is home to water plants and released fish. TASA has also planted aquatic plants along the muddy and sandy shore of the lagoon to create a new habitat that is easy for aquatic birds and amphibian species to visit.
As a side note, the Toyota―Zárate Natural Reserve has been providing shelter and food to a large number of native animals and plants. Currently, TASA employees are carrying out afforestation activities and educational workshops at the Reserve.
Toyota will continuously work on biodiversity conservation as a company, and seek to realize a future society in harmony with automobiles and nature.
Toyota has been conducting environmental educational activities to foster children, responsible for the future, to have a sense of ownership and take action on environmental issues. As one of the activities, we visited the 'Nibancho School Club (operated by the Japan Nursery Service Inc.),' an after-school care center in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, and conducted the 'Toyota Environmental Program for Kids (dragonfly ver.)' in cooperation with the Asahi Shimbun Company. A total of 40 children (elementary school grades 1-6) participated in this program, and learned about the current situation that dragonflies are in, and the impact of human life on the environment in a fun manner through the 'problem-solving game' and 'three-panel cartoon,' and considered their future actions. The children made some great discoveries and shared their thoughts such as, 'I will not throw litter in rivers' and 'I will take good care of nature.' During the workshop, each one of them wrote an environmental declaration on a dragonfly-printed sheet and made a poster with many dragonflies flying around.
We will continuously conduct environmental educational activities, with the aim of realizing a future society in harmony with automobiles and nature.
The simplified version of this program and application for educational materials can be download from the following website: (Cooperation: The Asahi Shimbun Houkago Tanosheet)
https://houkago.asahi.com/kids_supporter/toyota_esd.html?iref=toyotaHP (Japanese only)
This program is a part of the ESD* Project based on the policy of 'Challenge of Establishing a Future Society in Harmony with Nature,' which is one of the goals in the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050.
* | Education for Sustainable Development |