Toyota to make Sta. Rosa plant carbon neutral by 2035

Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation (TMP) accelerates its ‘Plant Carbon Neutrality’ target by 15 years from the original target year of 2050. This aligns with the new goal of the automaker to reduce the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of all its manufacturing plants.

TMP officially announced its plans for the Sta. Rosa plant, which builds the Vios and Innova, during the inauguration of its expanded 1.46-megawatt (MW) solar facility that powers its manufacturing plant and head office.

As the company aims toward a carbon-neutral future, TMP increased its solar power system’s capacity by 0.46 megawatt to further the company’s minimum Renewable Energy (RE) ratio to 18%. With as much as 2 million kilowatt-hours of derivable clean energy per year, TMP’s onsite RE will contribute to 7-10% of the total energy requirement for manufacturing and non-manufacturing operations.

TMP invested over PHP 94 million for the 1.46-MW Solar Array project. As a result, the company will reduce its emissions by as much as 1,400 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to 2.9 million trees planted over 20 years.

“For TMP, I am confident to say that Plant Carbon Neutrality by 2035 is possible. We have 13 years left before our deadline, and we are working continuously to achieve 100% RE by also exploring offsite power sources,” said Atsuhiro Okamoto, president of TMP.

Back in 2018, TMP started its investment in RE with the first-phase installation of a 1-MW TMP Solar Array, a flagship initiative to achieve TMP’s commitments to TEC 2050, particularly ‘Challenge 3: Plant Zero CO2 Emissions.’ This first phase was a registered Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) Model Project, which received a subsidy from the Japanese Government. The JCM, a program that funds the diffusion of low carbon infrastructure in developing countries, provided the agreement to use the carbon credits in Japan’s emission reduction target.

The second phase is the addition of 0.46-MW capacity which started in March 2022. MSpectrum, Inc., an RE company and subsidiary of Manila Electric Company (Meralco), installed a total of 3,486 panels for the full rooftop solar power system on TMP’s main building in Santa Rosa City, Laguna.

With the Sta. Rosa factory becoming greener, Toyota's plan to be carbon neutral is coming together. Along with its 8 suppliers and 26 Toyota dealers that have also invested in RE facilities or entered into RE purchase agreements, as well as the wide array of Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) in both Toyota and Lexus, TMP's ultimate goal of going carbon-neutral and a becoming a more eco-friendly entity is quickly becoming a reality.