Aiming for a global sustainable society that realizes harmony between the environment and manufacturing
(Kariya, Japan) March 22, 2011 – Toyota Boshoku Corporation (Headquarters: Kariya, Aichi Prefecture; President: Shuhei Toyoda) has recently formulated its Y2015 Environmental Action Plan, a five-year plan for undertaking environmental initiatives from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2015.
In keeping with the spirit of the Toyota Boshoku Earth Charter established in 2004, the Toyota Boshoku group strives to contribute to a prosperous 21st century society by promoting initiatives for protecting the environment in all aspects of its business activities as it aims to achieve growth in harmony with the environment. As part of these efforts, the group works in unison to promote environmental conservation activities globally and strives to reduce environmental loads during its environmentally conscious development, design and production activities, while pursuing the potentials of environmental technologies to create ecologically responsible and comfortable goods.
The Y2010 Environmental Action Plan, which was formulated in fiscal 2005 and completed in fiscal 2010, strengthened Toyota Boshoku’s environmental efforts by setting even stricter challenging targets (voluntary targets) for each fiscal year. As a result, Toyota Boshoku expects to attain the targets in all activity categories by wide margins.
Under its recently formulated Y2015 Environmental Action Plan, which is based on the theme “Aiming for a global sustainable society that realizes harmony between the environment and manufacturing,” Toyota Boshoku will work continuously to realize a low-carbon society through monozukuri (manufacturing). Taking into consideration current social trends and environmental changes that include the spread of next-generation vehicles and initiatives for biodiversity in addition to environmental problems expected to arise after 2020, the Environmental Plan clarifies the key matters that must be undertaken globally by the Toyota Boshoku group over the next five years as the group promotes comprehensive environmental management while steadily achieving its targets.
<Key Points of the Y2015 Environmental Action Plan>
Development and production activities for the realization of a low-carbon society
| (1) | Promote the development of technologies for next-generation vehicles |
| (2) | Reduce CO2 emissions in production activities |
| (3) | Reduce CO2 emissions in logistics activities |
Technology development and production activities for building a recycling-oriented society
| (4) | Promote recycling designs and develop technologies for effective use of limited resources |
| (5) | Develop and expand the adoption of carbon neutral plant-derived materials |
| (6) | Reduce waste materials and efficiently use resources in production activities and logistics activities |
Reduce the use of substances with environmental impact and carry out social activities in co-existence with the natural environment
| (7) | Strengthen management of products that contain chemical substances |
| (8) | Reduce the use of substances with environmental impact in production activities |
| (9) | Undertake efforts toward conservation of biodiversity |
| (10) | Promote social contribution activities in order to co-exist with nature |
Environmental management
| (11) | Strengthen and promote consolidated environmental management |
| (12) | Promote environmental conservation activities in cooperation with business partners |
| (13) | Promote environmental management using Eco-VAS* in product development |
| (14) | Promote sustainable plant activities |
| (15) | Enhance and promote environmental education globally |
| (16) | Enhance activities for communication with stakeholders through active disclosure of environmental information |
| * | Eco-Vehicle Assessment System is a comprehensive system used in the development of all vehicles to assess the environmental impact of a vehicle across all stages of the life cycle spanning vehicle production, usage and disposal based on the concept embodied in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). |