We are implementing a number of actions to minimize and optimize water usage at our manufacturing sites. We are collecting rainwater to reduce the amount our factories have to take from ground water or the piped supply. We have also developed purification methods so that the water we do use can be used again, or returned safely into the local supply network.
Our goal is to minimize water usage and implement water discharge management based on local conditions.
By 2030 our goal is to implement measures at the four challenge-focused plants in North America, Asia and Southern Africa in order to reduce their water usage.
From a water quality point of view, we will also make complete impact assessments at all of the 22 plants in North America, Asia and Europe where used water is discharged directly into rivers.
Representing water consumption in Toyota plants located around the world (Asia, North America, Europe, China); we managed to keep the water consumption per unit produced fairly stable, however due to implementation of water quality measures, an increase in the number of washings, and other factors, water usage per unit produced in 2019 was 3.2 m3 (up 0.4 percent year on year)
The CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) is an organisation that recognises companies with high-quality environmental impact disclosure in its annual scoring process. Top companies make it onto CDP's A-List. In 2019, Toyota was still selected for the A-List score for water management.
15% reduction in water per unit used in 2019, compared to 2013 levels
Industrial water is used for all production processes in vehicle manufacturing. Next to energy and waste, it is one of the biggest environmental impacts of the automotive industry. Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF), as one of our global sustainable plants, has continuously made efforts to reduce water usage.
Initially they reduced the industrial water they purchased after looking carefully at the water requirements per shop. Next, TMMF started investigating whether some of the wastewater could be recycled instead of using fresh industrial water. This involved analysing the quality of the discharge water and the opportunities for its recycling.
To use recycled water in production processes, it needs to be mixed with rainwater. TMMF were already capturing rainwater in a basin, but installed a second one to increase the efficiency of the recycling process and the quality of the recycled water.
With this project, TMMF is a benchmark for Toyota Manufacturing worldwide with regard to water use. The process of implementing an activity successfully in one plant and then sharing, evaluating and implementing it in other plants is called Yokoten in Toyota terms.
Improving water management at Toyota’s European Head Office
In regard to water use at Toyota’s European Head Office, our target is 5.5 m³ per FTE (full time equivalent). In FY15 we were using more than 9 m³ of water per FTE.
To reach this goal we have taken a number of actions through the years. In 2015 we installed additional water meters to improve the monitoring process, quickly identify deviations from normal consumption, and instigate follow-up. We also linked the meters to the central Building Management System for improved supervision of water use. The same year we installed waterless urinals, followed in 2016 by upgrading the dishwashers to more water-efficient models.
Most recently we installed a system to split rainwater from domestic water. Now, instead of both types of water ending up in the city sewage system, the rainwater is recuperated for sanitary use. This saves 2,400 m³ of sanitary water per year.
