Toyota saved more than 54 million gallons of water in North America during fiscal year 2015 through reduce, reuse and recycle efforts, according to its latest North American Environmental Report.
The automaker had targeted a 6 percent reduction in water withdrawals by fiscal year 2016 from a 2010 baseline. In FY2015, Toyota surpassed this goal, achieving an 8 percent reduction. Installing additional filtration at Toyota’s San Antonio, Texas, assembly plant reduced water use by 80 gallons per vehicle produced. The company’s Chicago, Illinois, service training center collects rainwater and routes it to a rain garden, which, in combination with drought-tolerate native landscaping, eliminates the need for irrigation.
The company also reported impressive recycling and waste management achievements in 2015. Toyota’s North American facilities reduced, reused, recycled or composted over 96 percent of non-regulated waste during calendar year 2014. Twenty-eight of the company’s North American facilities meet the US Zero Waste Business Council’s definition of a zero waste business — one with a 90 percent or greater diversion of all waste from landfill, incineration and the environment.
Toyota is working to reduce is carbon emissions through various energy-saving initiatives. Toyota’s plant in Alabama is the first in North America to reuse batteries from end-of-life hybrid vehicles as stationary energy storage.
Toyota has received the Energy Star Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award from the EPA for the 11th consecutive year. Forty-seven Toyota and Lexus dealers have achieved LEED certification.
Toyota has set a series of goals to eliminate almost all of its carbon emissions by 2050.
