Toyota GB Shrinks Its Carbon Footprint To Achieve Recertification To The Carbon Trust Standard

KEY POINTS

• Toyota GB earns recertification to the Carbon Trust Standard thanks to continued and rigorous reduction of its CO₂ emissions
• On-going strategies at all Toyota GB sites have helped reduce the carbon footprint by more than 10 per cent in two years, according to Carbon Trust measurements
• Recertification assessment includes additional emission sources including power usage, business mileage and travel, and ‘fugitive emissions,’ such as leaks from air conditioning systems
• Toyota GB one of only seven businesses in the UK automotive sector to achieve Carbon Trust Standard
• Toyota GB’s environmental dealer programme shows a 13 per cent reduction in monitored dealer carbon emissions in its first six months

Toyota GB’s commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its business has been recognised with recertification to the Carbon Trust Standard, against even tougher criteria due to the additional emission sources required upon recertification.

Toyota GB first gained the official seal of quality for its work to reduce carbon emissions two years ago. According to the Carbon Trust’s own methodology for assessing performance, it has since achieved a further 10 per cent cut in its carbon footprint.

The Carbon Trust’s quality assessment includes corporate policies, long-term strategies, target setting, and management of carbon issues in business operations, products and communications. The assessment criteria to achieve recertification to the Carbon Trust Standard extends to include additional emission sources including, gas and electricity consumption at all Toyota GB sites (including its head office, training facilities and import centre),  the impact of business mileage and travel, and “fugitive emissions,” such as leaks from air conditioning systems.

Thomas Rosselle, Toyota GB’s Manager CSR and External Affairs, said: “We are proud to have achieved our recertification to the Carbon Trust Standard. Reducing emissions in everything we do – not just in the performance of the vehicles we make – is central to Toyota’s ethos and we are pleased that that measures we are taking across our business here in the UK are achieving such good results.

“Our efforts do not stop here. We have a strategy in place to make our carbon footprint even smaller through reduced and intelligent use of energy and natural resources, together with the further reduction of waste and increased awareness among all our people about how they can contribute to a cleaner and more environmentally responsible business.”

Darran Messem, Managing Director of Certification at the Carbon Trust commented “Toyota GB has managed to achieve an impressive 10 per cent reduction in CO₂ and equivalent emissions to recertify to the Carbon Trust Standard. Toyota GB has demonstrated that continued focus on initiatives to deliver carbon reductions also delivers significant environmental and business benefits.”

Around 650 UK businesses and public sector bodies have achieved the Carbon Trust Standard to-date, withToyotaone of only seven from the automotive sector.

Demonstrating further commitment to the reduction of carbon emissions in its business activities, Toyota GB has established a programme of monitoring and reduction amongst theToyotaand Lexus dealer networks. During the first six months of the programme, 198 monitored dealers reduced their carbon footprint on average by 13 per cent.

ENDS