Jun. 09, 2003
Toyota Initiates "Toyota Recycle Vision" Action Guidelines
Tokyo―TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION announced today the initiation of "Toyota Recycle Vision", a set of action guidelines for contributing to the creation of a recycling-oriented society. Based on Toyota's long-term approach toward vehicle recycling, the new guidelines set specific targets for
1) improving vehicle recovery rates,
2) increasing use of recyclable resources and recycled materials,
3) increasing use of used parts and
4) reducing use of substances of environmental concern.
Environmental preservation has long been a top-priority management issue for Toyota. Under its environmental-management program, TMC has energetically pursued policies based on its Toyota Earth Charter (adopted in 1992 and revised in 2000), which governs Toyota's global environmental initiatives, and on its three Toyota Environmental Action Plans (of 1993, 1996 and 2000), which set out specific activities and goals for the medium and long term.
In the field of recycling, Toyota is engaged in a comprehensive range of activities that take into account a vehicle's entire lifecycle from development through production, use and disposal. These activities include the development of easy-to-recycle materials and easy-to-dismantle vehicle structures, expanded use of used parts and development and practical application of automobile-shredder-residue (ASR) recycling technology.
At the same time, The Law on Recycling of End-of-life Vehicles that went into effect in Japan in July of last year requires vehicle manufacturers to collect, appropriately process and recycle ASR, chlorofluorocarbons and airbags. In Europe meanwhile, an EU directive on end-of-life vehicles was issued in October 2000 and is now being incorporated into the legal system of each member country.
Against this backdrop, TMC created the Toyota Recycle Vision for TMC to be able to appropriately respond to related laws and regulations and to increase the effectiveness of Toyota environmental measures already in place. The guidelines are themed on "the creation of a sustainable recycling-oriented society" and aimed at realizing as soon as possible the 95% vehicle recovery rate that is being targeted in both Japan and Europe.
The Toyota Recycle Vision aims to heighten vehicle recycling technology and lower recycling costs by creating the social infrastructure necessary to meet such aims and to encourage new research and development toward the production of vehicles incorporating what is known as "design for recyclability", or DFR. As such, TMC plans to pursue a comprehensive and steady approach that will include development of dismantling and recycling technology and the setting of numerical targets for the expanded use of used parts and the reduced use of substances of environmental concern, among others.
Application of the Toyota Recycle Vision is already reflected in the new Raum launched in May, and TMC plans to apply the guidelines to successive vehicle models in the future.
| Topic | Target | Current state (in Japan) |
| Steady improvement of vehicle recovery rate in Japan and Europe | Early achievement of announced Japanese standards; steady achievement of announced European standards* | Vehicle recovery rate: 80-83% |
| Increased use of recyclable resources and recycled materials | Development of technology allowing 20% use of resin parts in 2015 (combining Toyota Eco-Plastic and recycled materials) | Use of Toyota Eco-Plastic started with launch of second-generation Raum in May 2003 |
| Increased use of used parts | 10-fold increase in sales of used parts by 2010 (compared to 2002) | CY2002 sales: 23,000 parts |
| Reduction in substances of environmental concern | Implementation worldwide of common standards in 2003 | Basic policy established for adopting global response |
| Introduction from 2006 in Japan and Europe of vehicles with zero amount of mercury, cadmium and chromium (VI); lead use to be reduced to 1/10 or less of level in 1996 | Hitherto target: introduction from 2006 of vehicles with zero use of substances of environmental concern (with exception of lead, which is to be reduced to 1/10 or less of level in 1996) (By 2002, the average volume of lead used in newly introduced models was 1/6 the level used in 1996.) |
*In Japan: ASR recycling rate of 30% in 2005, 50% in 2010 and 70% in 2015; vehicle recovery rate equivalent to 88% in 2005, 92% in 2010 and 95% in 2015. In Europe: vehicle recovery rate of 85% in 2006 and 95% in 2015
