Our aim to be a good corporate citizen that is admired in every one of the 170 countries in which we operate is an ambitious goal. It is a goal that we take seriously at Toyota but we know that it will not be achieved by just providing jobs and good quality products. We must also make a difference to the lives of the people who live in the communities in which we operate.
We concentrate our efforts in three areas where we believe we can best apply our knowledge and resources in a practical way to make a real difference. The areas of our focus are the environment, road safety and technical education.
The environment: a holistic approach
Achieving growth while remaining in harmony with the environment is a challenge. At Toyota we recognise that the growth of our business depends on the success of sustainable mobility. This has led us to develop innovative solutions such as the Hybrid Prius.
We are also aware that tackling environmental issues during the life-cycle of our products is not enough to solve today’s environmental issues. This is where TFfE plays an important role. We help by building working relationships so that people can share knowledge and organise effective teamwork. Together we can help solve these challenges.
Road safety: a shared responsibility
Mobility is key to the quality of life. Yet traffic accidents throughout Europe claim tens of thousands of lives each year. If automobiles are to continue to be accepted by society, it is clear that safety issues must be tackled alongside environmental concerns.
As a major vehicle manufacturer, Toyota has a clear responsibility to address these safety issues and reduce the number of accidents, injuries and fatalities. Genuine sustainable mobility requires us to tackle safety by:
- Improving vehicles
- Creating a safer traffic environment
- Educating road users to improve behaviour on the roads.
The European Commission has set a target to reduce the number of traffic fatalities by 50% by 2010. We believe this target will only be met if governments, non-profit organisations, educational institutions and vehicle manufacturers all work together to create positive change. This is why Toyota puts in a great deal of time and effort, not only to produce safer cars, but also play an active role in creating safer roads and enhancing awareness of road safety for all users.
Technical education: future sustainable solutions
We believe that the level of education and skills will determine future social cohesion, prosperity and sustainability. It is an interest for a society to provide children with more and better opportunity for education. Recent trend in Europe shows that technical education needs more attention in this light. It is also obvious that the future solutions to Toyota’s sustainability challenges linked to manufacturing will only be solved by investing more in technical education.
We have a unique programme called Toyota Technical Education Programme (T-TEP), which started in 1990 in Japan and has now been rolled out to Europe and the rest of the world. T-TEP is a comprehensive support programme for technical and vocational schools and aims to promote high quality technical education by supplying these schools with materials such as engine simulators, cutaway components, technical documentation and vehicles, as well as teacher training. Over 200 schools in 20 countries throughout Europe are supported in this way by Toyota. Besides T-TEP, we also work with various organisations which promote technical education and we aim to increase our support in the near future.
