Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) recently committed to reducing its carbon emissions output in the U.S. by nearly half over the next three years by entering into Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs).
“Toyota believes unequivocally in climate change and we know that we need to take action to help protect the planet,” company spokesperson Nathan Kokes told Mega Dealer News. “This VPPA is part of our major effort called Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, with the goals of reducing our environmental impact and delivering sustainable mobility.”
The Environmental Challenge campaign has an overall goal of totally wiping out emissions from plant operations over the next 30 years. With the VPPAs slated to go into effect before the end of the year, the company plans to contract with renewable-energy providers to generate wind and solar power that will be provided directly to regional electric grids, thereby reducing fossil fuels while, at the same time, improving the sustainability of the area’s electric grid.
“We are proud of the significant progress that we have made in reducing global emissions from our manufacturing operations and continue to explore new opportunities to cut even further,” Kokes said. “TMNA is committed to continuing our work as we pursue our Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, to reduce our environmental impact and deliver sustainable mobility.”
Toyota's VPPA program was six years in the making, including extensive research on how to best reduce and offset emissions. To that end, the company worked in partnership with the likes of MIT, the National Renewable Energy Lab and the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Launched in 2015, the Challenge sets out six objectives for the company's global operations, among them a 90-percent reduction in global average CO2 emissions from new vehicles vs. 2010 levels; the complete elimination of CO2 emissions from the entire vehicle life cycle and connecting and promoting nature conservation activities in the communities where the company operates.
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