After facing some questionable criticism about its manufacturing processes and how green the Toyota Prius really is, the Japanese manufacturer has hit back with a Press release highlighting its environmentally focused manufacturing.
It suggests that the Prius is a standard bearer for clean operations and the use of renewable energy sources.
The company claims its Tsutsumi plant in Japan is one of five Toyota global Eco-Factories worldwide that are designed to minimise the environmental impact and develop best practices for adoption elsewhere. Among its accolades, it has held the ISO14001 green standard for environmental management since 1996 thanks to innovations in energy saving, recycling and waste management.
It says that Tsutsumi meets half of its electricity requirements thanks to an array of solar panels, while the rest are met by an efficient gas co-generation system.
To ensure only as much power is used as needed, energy saving lighting has been installed and patrols are carried out to monitor usage. Furthermore, the building even helps clean up the local environment as 22,000m of the assembly plant is covered in photocatalytic paint that reacts to sunlight and helps to break down harmful substances such as nitrogen oxides.
The plant sends no waste to landfill and has reduced the amount incinerated by 82 per cent to 730 tonnes from 1999 to 2006. It aims to eventually cut this amount down to zero. Between 2003 and 2007, CO2 emissions have also been slashed by 36 per cent.
