ENVIRONMENT

AIM: ZERO EMISSIONS

At Lexus we believe it is our responsibility to lead the industry’s response to the environmental challenge. We believe that environmental sustainability is the single biggest challenge facing our industry and our society this century. Our response affects not only our products but every aspect of our business and every person in it. Guided by a clear vision of sustainable mobility, we are:

• Pioneering ground-breaking environmental technologies such as hybrid cars
• Reducing the environmental impact of all our operations
• Minimising the natural resources we use in manufacture and maximising recycling and reuse
• Working with local communities to improve the quality of the environment

We call this our 360° approach to environmental leadership. We strive to achieve zero emissions, with zero waste across every part of our business. We believe that given the time and skills, and through Kaizen (the Japanese word for “continuous improvement”), this is possible. We believe that the growth and success of Lexus depend on it.

STEP 1: PRODUCT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

To achieve lower environmental impact, it is essential to plan and measure progress. So we developed the Ecological Vehicle Assessment System, or Eco-VAS. This is a comprehensive approach to assessing a vehicle’s whole life cycle in terms of its impact on the environment. Eco-VAS starts at the early stage of development.

We are pioneering the use of high-recovery materials, and researching and using parts that are easy to recycle at the end of their usable life to help easy recycling and recovery.

Even the least visible parts of a Lexus are designed with this in mind: recycled bumpers are being used to make trim for the luggage compartment and recycled, shredded soundproofing material is used for the silencer behind the dashboard. Car door trims are now made with the stem of kenaf – a member of the hibiscus family – rather than the woodchips previously used. Kenaf absorbs between two and five times as much CO₂ than other plants and is mixed with old waste bumpers from car repair shops to make door trim that is lighter, has better sound-proofing and uses material that doesn’t deplete forests.

STEP 2: PRODUCTION

For Lexus, producing low emissions vehicles is not enough. They must be produced and sold in sustainable, environmentally-friendly facilities by people who measure their performance in terms of positive social and environmental impact. By striving to reduce the amount of energy, water and substances of concern used, as well as the amount of waste created in the manufacturing process, we are continuously reducing the environmental impact of our operations.

STEP 3: LOGISTICS

Lexus' environmental concerns range from the gathering and transporting of raw materials to the processing and assembly of vehicle parts, and from the processes at our Centre showrooms to the handling of materials at the end of a vehicle's life.

Our European logistics operations have achieved a 20% reduction in CO₂ from parts and vehicle transportation since 2003.

STEP 4: SALES & MARKETING AND AFTER SALES

Our UK facilities:

We apply the Kaizen philosophy to our own UK facilities (Head Office, Importation Centre, and Training Centre). Through continuous improvement, we have reduced our buildings' Carbon Footprint by 4% and our business travel footprint by 23% in 2009.

This builds on our annual tradition of holding a ‘green month’ in June. We’ve done this since 1973 in Japan and for a number of years in the UK, raising the level of environmental awareness and involvement from our staff.

Our Centres:

Following the success of a pilot scheme last year, we are working with the Carbon Trust to achieve significant reductions in energy use and carbon emissions across our network of Lexus Centres, following a new 8-Step Environmental Plan.

Results from the 2009 pilot programme demonstrated the plan’s potential to achieve substantial environmental gains and have encouraged its implementation nationwide. The trial recorded savings of up to 20 per cent in electricity and gas usage, reducing the carbon footprint of each site by around 30 tonnes of CO₂ per year.

The structure of the 8-Step Environmental Plan builds on Lexus’s Environment and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) policy, and is designed not only to deliver environmental benefits for Lexus and its Centres, but also to the wider community through education and communication of energy-saving best practice ideas.

Each Centre will be assessed on its current energy use and through a targeted energy management and monitoring system will be helped to reduce electricity and gas consumption. Training workshops will also be held to promote best practice.

STEP 5: RECYCLING END OF LIFE VEHICLES

The End of Life Vehicle Directive seeks to prevent and limit waste, improve reuse, recycling and the recovery of end of life vehicles. Lexus endorses the Directive's requirements and as part of the implementation has introduced a policy of free take-back for all qualifying Lexus vehicles.

We have appointed Autogreen as our service provider to manage the free take-back scheme; they can provide advice on whether or not your vehicle qualifies for free take-back and the location of your nearest take-back facility. For more information, please visit www.autogreen.org

At Lexus we work on a global scale to minimise the impact of our operations on the environment. In choosing a business partner for End of Life Vehicle recovery and recycling, it was essential that the highest standards were demonstrated, ensuring Lexus owners are given a responsible, reliable and efficient service for the final disposal of their vehicles

The Autogreen take-back network is fully equipped to meet the demands of both the End of Life Vehicle legislation and Lexus environmental requirements

Information on Waste Batteries