Environmental Initiatives

Overview

To ensure that its products are accepted and well-received around the world, Toyota has positioned the environment as a priority management issue and seeks to become a leading company that contributes to the development of a recycling-based society through innovative environmental technologies. To that end, Toyota has created environmental management systems in all regions around the world and in all areas and is continually promoting measures with goals set according to the highest standards in each country and region.

Year
Month
Events
Related Item
1963
November
Production Environment Committee established

1973
June
Month of June designated as 'Toyota Environment Month' (later changed to 'Global Environment Month' in 1991)

September
Environmental Product Design Assessment Committee established

1990
October
Recycling Committee established

1992
January
Toyota Environment Committee established

January
Toyota adopts the 'Comprehensive Approach to Global Environmental Issues' (also known as the 'Toyota Earth Charter')

1993
February
Toyota Environmental Action Plan established

1997
July

Toyota Environmental Forum in 1997

First Toyota Environmental Forum held

October

Forest of Toyota

'Forest of Toyota' model forest created

1998
January
Environmental Affairs Division established

May
All-Toyota Global Warming Prevention Council established

October

Law Concerning the Promotion of Measures to Cope with Global Warming promulgated
December
'Environmental Report' published

1999
March
Toyota's Purchasing Group issues Environmental Purchasing Guidelines to its suppliers

June

Global 500 Award ceremony in 1999

Toyota receives the Global 500 Award from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

July

PRTR Law promulgated
August
Toyota begins including 'environmental specifications' in its product catalogs

October
First Global EMS Liaison Meeting held

2000
April
Toyota Earth Charter revised

April
'Consolidated environmental management' introduced into all consolidated subsidiaries in Japan and overseas (445 companies)

May
Toyota Environmental Activities Grant Program commenced

June

Basic Act for Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society promulgated
June
Environmental Textbook (two volumes) published

July
All-Toyota Production Environment Conference held

August
Toyota expands the application of its Environmental Purchasing Guidelines to its overseas locations

2001
January

Ministry of the Environment established
April

Automobile Recycle Technical Center

Automobile Recycle Technical Center established
PRTR Law goes into effect
April
Production Environment Logistics Subcommittee established (with its secretariat located inside the Logistics Planning Division)

June

Automotive NOx Law changed to the Automotive NOx and PM Law
November
Toyota begins holding 'stakeholder dialogs'

December
Toyota begins publishing life-cycle assessment (LCA) results in new car catalogs


Toyota achieves 100% green purchasing

2002
February
European Environmental Committee established

March
First Overseas Regional Production Environment Conference held

April
'Environmental Information Network System (with Environmental Performance Indicators [EPI])' introduced

June

The Japanese government makes a cabinet decision to ratify the Kyoto Protocol
July

Automobile Recycling Law promulgated
2003
February

Soil Contamination Countermeasures Act promulgated
June
'Toyota Recycling Vision' created and announced

June
Plans announced for full-scale implementation of 'Eco-Vehicle Assessment System (Eco-VAS)' beginning in 2005

August

Environmental & Social Report 2003

'Environmental and Social Report' issued (formerly known as the 'Environmental Report')

October

Tokyo Metropolitan Government puts into effect its Diesel Vehicle Emission Regulations
2004
January
Japan Auto Recycling Partnership, Ltd. established

April
North America Environment Committee established

May

Air Pollution Control Law revised (imposing restrictions on volatile organic compounds [VOC])
June

Law Concerning the Promotion of Business Activities with Environmental Consideration enacted (to promote preparation of environmental reports)
2005
January
Operation of an internal information system in compliance with the Automobile Recycling Law commenced
Automobile Recycling Law goes into effect
February

Kyoto Protocol goes into effect
April

Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute

Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute opened

June

Revised Air Pollution Control Law goes into effect
October

Educational booklet on eco-driving

Eco-driving promotion booklet issued

2006
March
Toyota's Environmental Purchasing Guidelines revised (into the Toyota Green Purchasing Guidelines)

May
South America Environment Committee established

July

Sustainability Report 2006

'Sustainability Report' (formerly known as the 'Environmental and Social Report') issued
EU starts its RoHS directive
November
Global Environment Award is established

2007
January
Environmental Affairs Division reorganized into the CSR & Environmental Affairs Division

March
China Environment Committee established

October
Australia Environment Committee established

2008
April
South Africa Environment Committee established

May
Resource Recycling Committee established

2009
October
Toyota HV Call Center established (and a new hybrid vehicle battery recycling system started)

2010
June
CSR Department transferred to the Corporate Planning Division; name changed to Environmental Affairs Division

October

Tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held
2011
July
The First Global Environmental Conference held

September

Environmental Report 2011

'Environmental Report' published separately from Sustainability Report

October
The Nature Coexistence Project of the Toyota Shirakawa-Go Eco-Institute receives the Second Contest for Corporate Activities on Biodiversity from the Ministry of the Environment

November
'Toyota Green Purchasing Guidelines' revised (Chemical substances management enhanced)