Toyota Motor Europe (TME), today marks the start of carbon-neutral production at its UK engine plant, in Deeside, North Wales*. It is a pioneering milestone for the site, marking Toyota’s first transition to carbon-neutral manufacturing operations outside Japan.
Speaking at a celebration event at Deeside, Dariusz Mikolajczak, TMUK Managing Director, said:
“For more than three decades, our members have been finding ways to reduce energy use, reduce carbon emissions, reduce waste, improve efficiency and reduce our impact on the environment. Often this has been through major projects and new technology, but just as often it has been through thousands of small improvements made by people who simply asked, ‘can we do this better?’.That mindset has brought us to this milestone as we begin carbon-neutral production and become the first Toyota plant outside Japan to transition to carbon-neutral manufacturing operations.”
The coming on stream of an anaerobic digester adjacent to the plant has enabled TMUK Deeside to close the remaining emissions gap and take the final step in its transition towards carbon-neutral manufacturing and achieving the international standard ISO 14068*. This waste-to-energy unit supplies biomethane gas and electricity to the plant via underground pipes and cables, replacing the conventional fossil-fuel-based energy sources.
The digester is a €329 million (£282 million) privately funded venture, capable of handling around 180,000 tonnes of waste a year coming from the surrounding Deeside community. This is broken down by bacteria to produce biomethane, which is used by the factory in place of natural gas, saving almost 3,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually. TMUK Deeside also uses electricity from renewable sources and has eliminated waste sent to landfill.
TMUK Deeside’s milestone sets Toyota on course towards its ambition for all its European manufacturing sites to achieve carbon-neutral production by 2030.
Stephen Kinnock, Secretary of State for Wales commented: “Congratulations to Toyota on achieving carbon neutral status for the Deeside plant. Toyota is a major employer with a long and proud commitment to north Wales, and it is a testament to the talented workforce here who have worked hard to reach this important milestone.The UK Government knows the importance of tackling climate change and that it can only be achieved by working with forward-thinking businesses like Toyota.”
A multi-pathway approach to carbon neutrality
Yoshihiro Nakata, Toyota Motor Europe President and CEO, explained the philosophy that drives Toyota’s wide-ranging approach to decarbonisation:
“At Toyota, our vision has always been bigger than the car. Our purpose is to provide mobility for all, leaving no one behind. That means supporting the transition to carbon neutrality in a way that is inclusive, practical and focused on real-world impact. We are on a journey towards carbon neutrality across our entire value chain while also reducing our reliance on finite resources through circular approaches that keep valuable materials in use for longer. But our ambition does not stop when a vehicle leaves the factory. We are working to decarbonise our manufacturing operations, increase renewable electricity use, improve energy efficiency and explore new ways to reduce environmental impact throughout the vehicle lifecycle.”
One example of the circular approach is Toyota’s work to recover aluminium from end-of-life vehicles and return it to manufacturing. In the UK, recycled aluminium from alloy wheels is already being transformed into new engine blocks produced at Deeside, demonstrating how circular resource use can support both carbon reduction and materials efficiency.
TMUK Deeside is the European centre for production of the 1.8-litre hybrid and petrol engines featured in the Corolla and Toyota C-HR models. Since commencing production in 1992, it has produced more than six million units for Toyota factories in Europe and across the world. Its notable achievements also include becoming Toyota’s first overseas facility to manufacture hybrid system engines.
Source: Toyota Motor Europe
