Environmental Resource Use
Toyota Australia is continuing to work towards resource efficiency by reducing its water consumption and minimising waste generation.
Raw Materials Use
A number of raw materials are used in the vehicle manufacturing process. These include steel and aluminium as major components, and also glass, resins and paint. In 2010/11, 62,345 tonnes of steel and aluminium were used by Toyota Australia in the vehicle manufacturing process. All aluminium (3,906 tonnes) and 35% of all steel (20,556 tonnes) used was from recycled material sources.
The steel and resin-coated sands used in production are from virgin sources. The company will be examining the use of recycled resin-coated sands in FY12.
Paper Usage
On the non-production side, a major material used in the office is paper. Toyota Australia has set targets to reduce paper use. In 2010/11, paper usage totalled 16,384 reams of A4 equivalent which was an increase from 13,317 reams of A4 equivalent in 2009/10. This did not meet the target set for 2010/11 of 12,564 reams.
The increase in paper usage reflected an increase in activity levels as a result of business conditions and a lack of effective reduction strategies. While most of this paper is recycled, reducing overall usage is consistent with Toyota Australia's environmental vision and remains a company goal. In 2011/12 the company will look at technological opportunities from refreshing office-based equipment and will work with company fleet and parts logistics to establish targets which may be more relevant to these activities than per person targets. These steps will help identify usage hot spots and enable resources to be prioritised to studying these areas and reviewing practices.
Water Consumption
Toyota Australia has set targets to reduce water usage across its business. Most of the company's water is sourced from municipal or city water suppliers. The company also has a 350-kilolitre rainwater tank and reticulation system at its corporate headquarters in Port Melbourne. The water from this system is used in the company's sanitary facilities and for watering the gardens on site.
Production Water Consumption
In 2010/11, total water consumption at the company's manufacturing plant in Altona was 392,163 kilolitres which represents a three per cent decrease from last year's consumption (405,829 kL). During the year, Toyota Australia implemented daily monitoring of the water consumption of process equipment. Any issues are captured quickly, repaired and continual improvements are carried out.
Water collected through stormwater tanks at the company's manufacturing plant is used for sanitary facilities, watering the gardens on site, cleaning and for topping up the sludge pool.
Toyota Australia entered the final year of a three-year sponsorship of a PhD student in 2010/11. The student's project is in collaboration with Victoria University, the Institute of Sustainability and Innovation, City West Water and Schweppes. The title of the PhD thesis is "An investigation into the factors required to achieve total water recycling at two major Australian industrial manufacturing sites." The PhD student has completed a process water map and identified opportunities for water optimisation. The final year will focus on water recycling treatment technologies. Toyota Australia has contributed $60,000 over three years to the project.
WaterMAP
Toyota Australia's manufacturing plant in Altona and corporate headquarters at Port Melbourne are rated as significant water users under the Victorian Government Our Water Our Future program. As such Toyota Australia is required to complete mandatory Water Management Action Plans (WaterMap) and to review these annually to ensure water is used efficiently on-site.
Wastewater
Water is discharged to the sewer from two Trade Waste Treatment Plants at Altona. The water discharged to the sewer from Paint Shop, Resin, Unit Parts, Assembly and Weld trade waste totalled 196,464 kL in 2010/11, and Engine Shop trade waste totalled 5,460 kL. The quality of this water is in accordance with the company's City West Water agreement limits. The wastewater is then discharged to the Western Treatment Plant at Werribee.
Toyota Australia has continued an initiative to manage trade waste in the area it is generated. This allows better management at the treatment plant and minimises the impacts or risks to the daily operation of the treatment plant process.
Non-Production Water Consumption
In 2010/11, total water consumption at the company's non-production sites was 23,757 kL, compared to 31,670 kL in 2009/10, representing a decrease of 33 per cent.
The installation of submetering at Woolooware Bay, Sydney allowed the detection and rectification of a major leak on the site that was leaking some 11,000 litres of water per day. Water use also declined due to ongoing activities to promote water use and awareness.
Waste Management
The majority of the company's waste is generated at its manufacturing plant. In 2010/11, total waste was 23,653 tonnes, of which 95 per cent was recycled (including steel, cardboard, plastic film, solvent, fluorescent lights, windscreen glass, sand, bumper bars, cans and bottles). This represents a slight increase from 22,170 tonnes of waste generated in 2009/10 and reflects the increased number of vehicles manufactured during the year.
The company will continue to work with waste management contractors to develop innovative processes to reduce waste disposed to landfill and increase opportunities to recycle and reuse products where possible. The goal, set in Toyota Australia's three-year Environmental Action Plan is to achieve an eight per cent reduction in total waste per vehicle from 2008 levels by 2012.
The two major waste streams at the manufacturing plant are general waste and prescribed waste.
General Waste
In 2010/11, 659 tonnes of general waste was disposed of to a landfill facility, compared to 595 tonnes of waste in 2009/10.
There has also been a slight increase in the company's general waste per vehicle from 5.62 kg/ Vehicle in 2009/10 to 5.82 kg/Vehicle in 2010/11.
Prescribed Waste
In 2010/11, 443 tonnes of solid prescribed waste was disposed of at a prescribed waste landfill facility, compared to 399 tonnes in 2009/10. Per vehicle prescribed waste also increased from 3.78 kg/Vehicle in 2009/10 to 3.91 kg/Vehicle in 2010/11.