TOYOTA CANADA - Toyota, the most fuel-efficient passenger line-up in Canada, reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability throughout its operations and beyond as it released its 2011 North America Environmental Report. The report details the success that Toyota has had in meeting or exceeding the goals of its aggressive, five-year Environmental Action Plan (EAP) in North America. These include groundbreaking enhancements to its industry-leading fleet of sustainable, advanced technology vehicles as well as strengthened environmental practices across its manufacturing, sales and service operations.
Among the key achievements outlined in the 2011 report are:
· Major developments in advanced technology vehicles, including the launch of an expanded family of four Prius vehicles, the completion of Canada's Prius Plug-in Hybrid partnership program, and the announcement of the Woodstock, Ontario assembly plant selected to build the electric, zero emission version of the RAV4 crossover sport utility vehicle;
· Significant improvements in fuel consumption across Toyota's fleet over the past five years, including a 2% improvement in Company Average Fuel Consumption (or CAFC standards) for Canadian cars and a 9% improvement in Canadian truck CAFC standards; and
· Near zero-landfill status at each of Toyota's North American manufacturing plants as well as a 35 % decrease in the amount of nonsaleable waste per vehicle produced.
"Toyota continues to be a committed environmental leader and knows that this leadership is developed through the products we deliver and our dedication to Canadian communities," said Stephen Beatty, Chief Environmental Officer, Toyota Canada Inc. "Our commitment isn't simply about a line on a balance sheet, but a vested approach to helping Canadians and their communities thrive as we create vehicles with a greener footprint. We are proud of the great environmental work that has already been completed with our dealers, suppliers and stakeholder relationships across Canada and look forward to the great work that will be done in the future."
New Environmental Report Shows Substantial Progress on Toyota's Five-Year Environmental Action Plan
In April 2006, Toyota began working to meet the guidelines of its second consolidated Environmental Action Plan, an aggressive five-year roadmap for improving and enhancing sustainability efforts across the company's North America operations. The company met or exceeded more than 80 % of its EAP benchmarks.
The results of this EAP, as well as environmental activities in Fiscal Year 2011, form the foundation of the new North America Environmental Report. Other highlights include:
Advanced Vehicle Technology and Fuel-Efficient Vehicles
· Toyota continues to be the most fuel-efficient passenger car line-up in Canada and remains committed to bringing a portfolio of advanced technologies to market, including hybrid, electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles. In addition to exceeding Canadian CAFC standards, the company continues to top Canadian Car Company Average Fuel Consumption (CAFC) targets for cars and light-duty trucks, performing better than the industry average.
· Prius tops both Natural Resources Canada's and the U.S. EPA's lists of the most fuel-efficient vehicles for 2011.
· Since its introduction in Canada in 2000, Prius continues to be the world's best selling fuel-efficient vehicle, with more than 3 million vehicles sold worldwide. Prius - when compared to the average midsize car today – will save a Canadian consumer more than $1,400 in fuel costs (at $1.24/L), 1,140 litres of gas and 2.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions each and every year.
· Prius v, the second of an expanded family of four Prius vehicles, launched in 2011, brings Toyota to a total of 9 hybrid vehicles, which includes the Lexus luxury brand. Next year Toyota will add the Prius C and the Prius Plug-in to the company's portfolio of advanced technology vehicles.
Energy Consumption, Recycling and Resource Management
· Over the course of the five-year EAP, Toyota achieved a 6% decrease in CO2 emissions at U.S. plants per vehicle produced and a 10% decrease in Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions.
· At our manufacturing plants, we've achieved our goal of near-zero waste to landfill for each of the last three years. Toyota's vehicle distribution division recycled a total of 94 % of waste generated.
· A photovoltaic system at its southern California sales headquarters has generated over 4.6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity, enough energy to power an average size household for approximately 383 years.
· In 2011, Toyota's North American manufacturing affiliate (Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.) received an ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award for the seventh consecutive year.
Sustainable Buildings and Dealerships
· Four more Toyota buildings achieved LEED certification last year, for a total of 10 LEED certified buildings.
· 15 Toyota and Lexus dealerships in the U.S. and Canada have obtained LEED certification for their facilities.
· The company introduced a battery recovery program to educate dealerships on the proper handling of large format nickel-metal hydride batteries from our hybrid vehicles. Spent batteries are collected from the dealers and transported by Toyota for proper recycling and disposal.
Environmental Stewardship and Community Engagement
· Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds, our signature environmental philanthropic program with Evergreen, continues to transform Canadian school grounds into natural learning environments. The Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program has empowered close to one million students at almost 3,000 schools across Canada, helping them create inviting natural play spaces and outdoor learning environments.
· For the ninth year, Earth Day Canada administered the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship program to reward and encourage environmental commitment and action among students. To date, CAN$700,000 has been awarded to 140 young Canadians through the Toyota Earth Day Scholarship Program.