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| Raising the level of action at all
dealers on the basis of genchi genbutsu and the "self-declaration"
system |
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| Toyota National Dealers' Advisory
Council Chairman, Motoo Katsumata |
The Toyota National Dealers' Advisory
Council (TNDAC), an organization of Toyota dealers, established the
Environmental Issues Study Group in 1999 (chaired then by Koji Mukai,
president of Toyota Corolla Kagawa Co., Ltd.) and formulated the
Toyota Japanese Dealer Environmental Guidelines summarizing the environmental
action to be taken by Toyota car dealers. The group has been active
for three years, promoting environmental initiatives, and in 2003,
committee member Motoo Katsumata, president of Chiba Toyopet, Co.,
Ltd., took over as chairman. In the same year the name was changed
to the Environmental Committee. With three years of experience behind
it, TNDAC continues to move steadily ahead with environmental actions
aimed at new developments. |
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| The Importance of Being Proactive |
"When it comes to environmental
action, the most important point is to see things from the perspective
of society and proceed with measures that are one step ahead of
the times," declares the committee chairman, Katsumata.
The company headed by Katsumata, Chiba Toyopet, Co., Ltd., has a
record of proactive environmental action, having become the first
Toyota dealer to acquire ISO 14001 certification, in December 2000.
"In an industrially mature society, investment that is not linked
to direct profit or short-term profit becomes increasingly important,"
adds Katsumata. A typical example is "environmental response" as
one form of risk management.
While environmental responses by dealers are not necessarily linked
directly to profit, environmental accidents and similar incidents
not only have a very negative impact on a company's image, but can
threaten a corporation's continued existence. Advanced environmental
action not only fulfills the function of risk management but also
produces a contribution to society.
At Toyota dealers, which are involved in locally responsive business
activities throughout Japan, collection of designated chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs) was begun voluntarily from the early 1990s, well in advance
of the enactment of the 2002 Fluorocarbons Recovery and Destruction
Law. This typifies their contribution to society through implementation
of environmental action that is ahead of its time, in a consistently
forward-thinking manner.
It was against this background that in 1999 TNDAC formulated the
Environmental Guidelines. With the aim of encouraging enhanced environmental
action by dealers throughout Japan, proposals were made concerning
what actions Toyota car dealers should take. |
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| Basic Concepts of On-Site (genchi
genbutsu) Checking and the "Self-Declaration" System |
The distinctive features of the
guidelines are the common approach of "on-site checking" —undertaken
by each dealer not only at its own outlets, but right down to the
company that is contracted to process waste— and the "self-declaration"
system, in which each dealer takes responsibility for deciding
how much of a task to complete by a certain deadline.
Whereas some manufacturers adopt systems such as approval schemes
for the activities of their dealers, Toyota dealers identify their
own issues and then proceed to take specific independent measures
through genchi genbutsu. Toyota, meanwhile, to ensure smooth implementation,
provides dealers with a full range of information on effective techniques
and other aspects. This division of roles is now firmly in place
at Toyota dealers and Toyota.
The outcome of this, says committee chairman Katsumata looking back
on the past three years, is that "the environmental action of Toyota
dealers is among the most advanced in the industry." |
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| Adapting to the Automobile Recycling
Law |
Some may wonder whether these dealer
activities are nothing more than a temporary phase. In response
to this general question, committee chairman Katsumata gives a
very definite answer: "Dealers, by their very nature, continually
seek to be well received by the local community, which means that
the environmental actions of dealers never come to an end. At the
same time, however, there is a need to constantly verify that one's
own level of activity matches the needs of society."
More concretely, along with the continuation of each company's improvement
activities based on the Environmental Guidelines, preparations are
underway at TNDAC for adaptation to the Automobile Recycling Law
that comes into full force at the beginning of 2005, including the
setting up of a special working group.
Under the Automobile Recycling Law, dealers have the important role
of collecting end-of-life vehicles from customers and feeding them
reliably into the recycling chain.
Conscious of this role, TNDAC will encourage dealer initiatives
to ensure that end-of-life vehicles are handed over with greater
reliability
to the appropriate recycling companies to be recycled. |
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Working group |
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The Toyota Japanese Dealer Environmental
Guidelines |
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