Recognizing the commitment towards sustainable business practices, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) was honoured today with the CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2022, under the category ‘Excellence in Biodiversity’ (Manufacturing Sector) by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), in the gracious presence of Shri. Nitin Gadkari – Honourable Union Minister - Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India as the Chief Guest.
Towards environmental sustainability, in 2015, Toyota’s Eco-efforts were enhanced by the announcement of its six aspirational global environment challenges. As a part of this, Toyota’s key focus is to achieve ‘Carbon Neutrality by 2050’ & ‘Net Zero Carbon in Manufacturing Operations’ by 2035.
Instituted in 2006, the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards recognizes and rewards excellence in businesses that are seeking ways to be more sustainable and inclusive in their activities. In this direction, TKM has been recognised for its multi-fold efforts dedicated to conserving the environment by not just improving the products and processes, but also proactively working towards developing a future society in ‘Harmony with Nature’ under its three key verticals, namely:
(i) Green Wave Project - Promoting mass plantation activities inside and outside TKM by consistently expanding the afforestation efforts, involving all its stakeholders.
- Over the years, TKM has planted more than 3,26,000 trees across 112 acres of land within its factory premises that includes 650 different floral diversity, contributing to a cumulative reduction of 4,700 tons of carbon and attracting the faunal diversity of more than 260 species.
- More than 2 lakh saplings have been distributed to its employee households & nearby community, restoring habitat and enhancement of biodiversity
(ii) Education for Sustainable Development: Under this initiative, TKM aims to promote learnings and good practices on sustainable development amongst all its stakeholders. In this direction, TKM has created an environmental experiential learning center namely Ecozone (spread across 25 acres with 17 theme parks and home to 65,000 trees with 650 native species) for children, within our manufacturing facility aimed at creating the environment leaders and change champions for the future, to usher in desired behavioral change in the communities. The center also enables to explore and understand suitable solutions to address various existing environmental issues as well as to sensitize stakeholders towards adopting eco-friendly lifestyle and minimizing the impact on the planet. This facility demonstrates to young minds the importance of various elements of environment covering the seven modules of Water, Waste, Climate Change, Biodiversity, Energy, Silent Garden and Underground Ecology by sharing sensory experiences, which is beyond classroom learning. So far, more than 30,000 students have been a part of this learning experience.
(iii) Today for Tomorrow Project: Through this program, TKM undertook Lake Rejuvenation project of Abbanakuppe Lake under TKM CSR initiative, benefitting more than 8,000 villagers from 6 nearby villages.
Furthermore, TKM adheres to the Learn, Perform, and Drive approach to foster an eco-mind among its employees. The company through its employee volunteer program called i-CARE (Community Action To Reach Everyone), involves its employees in various eco activities such as Dibbling for plant seeding (so far 3000 dibbles), land clean-up covering more than 0.5 acres of area, making bird nests from plastic bottles (230 bottles were recycled into planters) & imbibing the sense of biodiversity conservation amongst youths from 100 shelter homes, reaching out to more than 59,000 people till date.
Needless to mention, Environment Conservation is inherent in the Toyota culture. The company’s vision, philosophy and guidelines are true reflections of its commitment for a sustainable future. It is focused on achieving harmony between its manufacturing activities and the environment based on the concept of 'a plant that optimally utilizes natural resources while operating in harmony with the natural environment'.
On receiving this prestigious award, Executive Vice President of Toyota Kirloskar Motor - Mr. Raju B. Ketkale said "We are delighted to receive this recognition for our unwavering commitment to sustainability and biodiversity conservation. This esteemed award serves as a testament to our relentless efforts in driving positive change towards environment protection and restoration. We believe it is critical to increase in-depth knowledge about ways and means to combat carbon emissions, beyond providing technologically advanced solutions, while achieving goals of carbon neutrality, as part of our ongoing effort to promote the adoption of sustainable mobility solutions across regions.
He further added, “Our focus extends beyond being an automobile manufacturer; we strive to become a responsible mobility company that actively contributes to safeguard our planet. This award underscores our continued pursuit of sustainable development, showcasing our various eco initiatives and contributions towards creating a harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature."
TKM will further continue to evolve & adopt eco touch in its every business operation towards creating more happier society for people to live in.
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