Highlights from Toyota 2016 North American Environmental Report
To wrap up 2016, Toyota released its 16th annual North American Environmental Report. The lengthy annual document details the sustainable challenges and successes the automaker giant has experienced in the past year, as well as examining green milestones going forward. We’ve brought you the highlights below.
In the fall, Toyota said they are setting out to reach six goals by 2050 that will together create a positive impact on the planet. Half of those focus on completely eliminating greenhouse gas emitted by its products, operations and supply chain.
Electrification is believed to be a huge piece of the puzzle to unlocking a 100 per cent emissions-free future, and people don’t have to look any further than the current vehicle lineup to see proof of that. The RAV4 Hybrid and second-generation Prii variants were all recently released nearly at the same time, bringing the total global number of hybrid models to 33.
Since 1997 when the first Prius was sold to the public, Toyota’s hybrid technology has prevented approximately 67 million tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere, according to company estimates.
Another big issue that businesses of all industries are facing is how to reduce landfill waste. A team from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada team, with some help from a supplier, have discovered a way to turn trash into treasure. Rather than junk the pieces of the headliner cut away to make room for a sunroof, which was believed unrecyclable, they found a way to remanufacturer them into packaging for parts deliveries.
And finally: being environmentally friendly isn’t always considered a super fun subject. However, it is when you put it in the context of racing. Two members of Toyota Canada’s rally team placed first in the Hybrid category and second overall at the inaugural Nîmes-Alès eco-rally in southern France, piloting none-other than a 2016 Prius to help raise awareness of advancements in hybrid engineering. The three-day event featured 48 teams and took place in June involving over 300 kilometres of driving.
