In the process of manufacturing and transporting over one million vehicles each year in North America, Toyota uses raw materials, energy and water, and we generate waste. We are constantly looking for ways to conserve resources and reduce our environmental impacts.

During fiscal year 2012, we reduced our energy and water consumption, and we reduced our emissions of greenhouse gases. Our assembly plant in Cambridge, Ontario, installed a reverse osmosis concentrate recovery system that reduces water consumption by 13.2 million gallons (50,000 cubic meters) per year.

Direct reuse of containers helps to conserve natural resources and keeps waste out of landfills. Reusable metal shipping containers are used between selected North American parts distribution centers and vehicle distribution centers, dealers and suppliers. The returnable containers are also used increasingly for shipments to Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, and by over 120 of Toyota’s North American suppliers. More than 95 percent of the North American parts at Toyota’s Kentucky and Texas plants are currently received in returnable packaging.

Since the use of these containers began in 2001, our cumulative savings amount to over 129 million pounds of wood and 48 million pounds of cardboard.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT:

• The wildlife team at our Kentucky assembly plant actively manages 62 acres of habitat and has 340 acres of unmanaged habitat available for wildlife on the site.
  
  
• Lighting retrofits at our North American manufacturing plants have resulted in annual savings of 17 million kilowatt-hours and 10,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions, enough to power 1,500 households.