Toyota Motor North America has outlined a sustainability strategy around renewable energy use, supply chain engagement and improved recycling as it aspires for carbon neutrality across its facilities by 2035 and across the vehicle life cycle by 2050.

The North American branch of the world’s largest automaker, Toyota Motor North America, is based in Plano, Texas. Toyota Canada Inc. is headquartered in Toronto.

The North American Environmental Sustainability Report 2022 is Toyota Motor North America’s 21st environmental report – its first regional environmental report was released in 2002.

Toyota North America’s 2021 emissions

In 2022, the company reports it emitted 445,353 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in Scope 1 emissions, compared to 387,000 metric tons of CO2 in 2021. It is the highest total in four years.

For Scope 2 emissions, Toyota Motor North America emitted 618,729 metric tons of CO2, which is a four-year low. In 2021, Scope 2 emissions were measured at 627,000 metric tons.

Toyota attributed the five per cent increase in combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions from 2022 to 2021 to primarily an increase in production from eased COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.

Its logistics CO2 emissions, combining Scope 1 and 3, were measured at 807,388 metric tons of CO2. It is the second-highest logistics CO2 emissions figure since 2018, only 1.5 per cent behind 2018, and 17 per cent higher than 2021.

Greenhouse gas emissions intensity was calculated at 0.62. It is a four-year low, tied with 2020.

Toyota does not yet have Scope 3 data for purchased goods and services.

For sites in Canada, provincial emission factors are sourced from Canada’s National Inventory Report. The emissions inventory was written under The GHG Protocol. No third-party verifier was named.

The CO2 data is registered by financial year, which is why it covers 2022.

Carbon, water, materials, biodiversity

Toyota Motor North America centres its sustainability around reducing carbon emissions, water conservation, promoting sustainable materials and recycling, and fostering biodiversity.

The company has set a goal for carbon neutrality across its North American facilities by 2035 and net positive goal for the entire vehicle life cycle by 2050. It also seeks to reduce absolute CO2 emissions from logistics by 15 per cent and supplier emissions by 14 per cent (from a 2018 baseline) by 2026.

To reduce CO2 emissions from its vehicles, Toyota is focusing on introducing more electrified vehicles in its Toyota and Lexus lineups, having 40 per cent of electrified new vehicle sales by 2025 and 70 per cent by 2030 and increasing the fuel efficiency of its internal combustion engines.

In its operations, Toyota aspires to increase its purchased renewable electricity to 45 per cent or more by 2025. The portion of purchased renewable electricity in 2022 was 4.1 per cent, which Toyota says will increase above 20 per cent in 2023 with two more power purchase agreements coming online.

Toyota implemented measures for recycling and reusing water. It consumed 519.4 million gallons of water in 2022, an 82 per cent increase from 2021 and a 14 per cent decrease from 2020. Toyota says the leap from 2021 to 2022 is due to the return of manufacturing after the pandemic.

The automaker says it is on track to meet its five per cent water use per vehicle production target for 2026.

Toyota claims to have recycled, reused or recovered 93 per cent of all waste in 2021. It generated 815,715,552 pounds of waste during the year, which was 14 per cent higher than 2020 and nine per cent higher than 2019.

The company recorded its waste data by calendar year, which is why it does not have waste data for 2022.

Toyota plans to promote biodiversity by developing pollinator habitats from 1,922 acres to 26,000 acres from 2022 to 2026, restoring habitats with the Wildlife Habitat Council and protecting endangered species like the monarch butterfly and the tree swallow at its Cambridge and Woodstock, Ont. plants.

Read the report here.