Jan. 16, 1992

TOYOTA INTRODUCES GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT CHARTER

 

Toyota City―In an effort to promote companywide environmental conservation activities, TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION has introduced an environmental charter entitled "A Comprehensive Approach to Global Environmental Issues: Earth Charter."

Drawn up by the newly formed Toyota Environmental Committee, the new charter defines the company's basic policy and action guidelines and calls for the coordination of environmental activities of Toyota-related companies worldwide.

Careful attention to safety and the environment is one of the guiding principles of Toyota, and the company intends to work within the new charter to protect the environment at all stages of operations, from product development and design to manufacturing, marketing, and final disposal.

A Comprehensive Approach to Global Environmental Issues Earth Charter

We at Toyota have prepared this Earth Charter as a framework for stepped-up efforts in the name of safeguarding the natural environment.

Finding ways to preserve an abundant natural environment to pass on to future generations is the most pressing issue for people on earth today. It is an issue that demands the attention of each and every individual. And it is an issue that transcends borders―as in problems like global warming―and thus demands a global response.

At Toyota, we are devoted to enhancing the quality of life by providing automobiles. We try to do that in a manner that accommodates human sensitivity and environmental harmony. We have worked steadily to make our vehicles environmentally sound by reducing emissions of harmful exhaust gases and by improving fuel efficiency. And we have built and operated our plants in ways that do not affect their surroundings adversely. As a corporate citizen, we have lent our support to various undertakings on behalf of environmental causes.

The time has come, however, for us at Toyota to redouble our commitment to safeguarding the environment. Our increasingly global identity warrants a global perspective on corporate responsibility, especially in regard to environmental issues, as emphasized in the newly issued (January 1992) "Guiding Principles at Toyota." We must devote increased attention to the escalating threats to the global environment. And we also must be attentive to emerging regional issues, such as the environmental consequences of economic progress in the developing world. This Earth Charter reflects a consensus on the appropriate role for Toyota in addressing those and other issues.

  1. Basic Policy
    1. Comprehensive Approach
      Develop technologies to minimize the environmental impact of automobiles and automobile plants.
      Implement environmental programs through Toyota's production and marketing operations worldwide and also though parts suppliers and through vehicle distributors and dealers.
    2. Preventive Measures
      Evaluate potential environmental impact at every stage in the sequence from product development though design, production, and marketing to final disposal, and take concrete measures to minimize that impact.
    3. Social Contribution
      Support and participate actively in diverse endeavors―in addition to those related to automotive considerations―on behalf of the environment.
  2. Action Guidelines
    1. Assign Top Priority to Environmental Concerns
      1. Vehicles
        Minimize overall exhaust emissions.
        Purge harmful substances from emissions.
        Develop vehicles that run on alternative energy sources.
      2. Production
        Minimize the generation of harmful substances in production processes.
        For example, develop and implement production processes that recirculate materials and that use energy with maximal efficiency.
    2. Conserve and Recycle Resources
      Study the relative usefulness of diverse materials, and use recycled materials whenever and wherever possible.
      Devote careful consideration to recyclability in designing products and in selecting materials and implement production processes that use materials efficiently.
    3. Cooperate with Suppliers and Partners
      Foster cooperation among all the diverse industries involved in producing automobiles. Even the smallest components that go into vehicles must be the subject of rigorous environmental consideration.
      Share environmental insights with suppliers and partners, and work closely with those companies to develop new technologies and other means of safeguarding the environment.
    4. Implement Programs Worldwide
      Accompany efforts to offer appealing vehicles in every nation with equally committed efforts to minimize the impact of those vehicles on the local environment.
      Pursue vigorous environmental programs at all Toyota plants around the world.
    5. Promote a Broad Perspective on Environmental Issues
      Bring an objective, scientific approach to bear in seeking ways to reconcile social needs for environmental quality with concurrent needs for convenient, efficient, and comfortable transportation.
      Promote rational, effective environmental policy in government regulations by providing policy-makers with pertinent data and by speaking out on important issues.
    6. Support and Participate in Activities Unrelated to Automobiles
      Participate actively in environmental causes that transcend the scope of automotive operations, and work to establish viable avenues of "sustainable development" on behalf of the environment.
    7. Propagate Broad Understanding of Environmental Issues
      Cultivate community awareness of Toyota's commitment to the environment by disseminating information about the company's environmental activities and by allowing tours of the company's environmental facilities.
      Foster a strong environmental consciousness among all the individuals who work at Toyota-related operations around the world.
  3. Organization
    Establish a Toyota Environmental Committee to coordinate the diverse activities under way at Toyota affiliates, suppliers, and partners worldwide.