Section 2. Response to Environmental and Safety Issues

Item 2. Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Measures on Substances of Concern

Elimination of CFC12

By the end of the 1980s, response to global environmental problems had become an international issue. The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which came into force in 1989, was adopted and it was agreed to eliminate the causative substance CFC12 by the end of the 20th century. Toyota responded promptly with a program of measures to tackle the elimination of CFC12, including the establishment of a Recycling Committee in 1990.

First, measures to deal with the CFC12 used in vehicle air conditioners were implemented by domestic service divisions in partnership with dealers. As part of such actions, dealers in Japan were provided free of charge with CFC12 recovery and recycling equipment in 1990. In 1993, Toyota developed a retrofit kit that allowed switching from CFC12 to an alternative CFC, and sold it through dealers. Later, as the use of alternative CFCs was also regulated, recovery and recycling equipment for alternative CFCs were also fully deployed in 1997.

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