Toyota's gone green

MANILA, Philippines -  I’ve always been a fan of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Wikipedia defines it as “a policy that functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby the business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms”. And I always applaud it when I find that a company embraces responsibility for its actions and seeks to conduct activities that encourage a positive impact, most especially on our battered environment. Toyota Motors Philippines Corporation (TMP) is a good example of a company with a delightful CSR policy.

A few weeks ago I was invited to come visit the TMP Plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. I was surprised to see that it was a totally different world inside – with its own set of unique protocols and its very own Eco center – no wonder they call it the Toyota Special Economic Zone (TSEZ)! But then again I suppose it should not have come as a surprise anyway, since Toyota happens to be the first automotive company in the Philippines to be awarded the ISO 14001 certification: evidence of compliance with the ISO’s high standards for an environmental management system.

The 82-hectare TSEZ is home to Toyota’s local manufacturing arm, and its Toyota Manufacturing Eco Center (TMEC): a tiny world that represents the environmental initiatives that TMP implements inside its facilities. TMP President Michinobu Sugata is quoted as saying, “As a matter of principle, environmental protection and preservation will always remain one of Toyota’s top priority management issues.”

I was quite impressed to find that Toyota has made rather smart moves to reduce, and hopefully eliminate the negative effects of their business operations to the environment, in every stage of a Toyota vehicle’s life-cycle. Starting with its production line, it has taken several steps to minimize energy and resource consumption, as well as limit its pollution. Say for example when it came to lighting their factory – the company invested in state-of-the-art light technology called “solatubes” whose architecture exploited the sun’s natural light and bounced them into the factory work area, thereby greatly reducing their energy consumption and thus, their carbon footprint. The factory also used robots in the car-painting process, because they are more consistent in spraying paint. More consistency meant minimized VOC emissions – volatile organic compounds, which are abundant in paints and thinners – that are harmful pollutants. The factory also recycles its thinner through its thinner recovery system.

When it comes to disposing the plant’s busted fluorescent lamps, TMP uses its very own “bulb eater”. This is a device that separates the harmful mercury from the glass and metal parts of the lamp, so that the mercury could be disposed of properly, and the rest of the lamp still be made available for recycling. Parallel to this, the TSEZ also harnesses solar energy in some of its facilities – such as in its Toyota Activity Center (the company’s sports facility), and the team members’ parking areas.

Another notable possession of the TSEZ is its state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant that has the capacity to treat 840 cubic meters of industrial and sanitary wastewater per day. The treatment system is so effective, that the TSEZ uses its output water to fill its man-made lagoon, which is now teeming with fish. In addition to this wastewater plant are also constructed wetlands in the area, that act as biofilters by removing sediments and pollutants such as heavy metals, from the wastewater.

And yet another highlight of the TSEZ is its 11.4-hectare forest, which is a dense cover of more than 10,000 trees and shrubs. It occupies more than 10% of the TSEZ, and many birds and other fauna now live in it. Alongside this, the Toyota Motor Philippines Foundation also maintains a tree nursery in the TSEZ, to provide seedlings and plants for the Toyota Forest. It also donates seedlings to both government and non-government organizations for their respective tree-planting projects.

As I come to think about it, perhaps the best physical embodiment of Toyota’s mission to help sustain the environment is the creation of its hybrid series – vehicles that combine an internal combustion engine’s high-speed power with the clean-efficiency of an electric motor. And this started with the launch of the Prius, way back in 1997, as the world’s first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car. Today Toyota brings us the new Prius v and the 2011 Lexus CT 200h, both leading us steps closer towards sustainable mobility.