Green Offices For A Green Planet

“Respect for the Planet” is a key emphasis for us at Toyota. As one of the world’s leading car manufacturers, we continually strive towards driving change for a healthier climate and greener planet. Paving the way for a sustainable automotive industry is a long-term challenge, but it is imperative that change begins with us and our everyday practices. Our Pakistani arm, Indus Motor Company (IMC), is doing just that.

A Commitment To Being Green

The Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 provides guiding principles and visions for a society in harmony with nature. In line with this, and with the policies outlined in the 5th Asia Pacific Environmental Action Plan, IMC has laid out initiatives of their own to create more sustainable business practices. One such initiative is the Green Office, which was implemented on 30 October 2016, in conjunction with the global NGO, World Wildlife Fund (WWF). The Green Office initiative embraces greener practices that start from the ground up, with each and every employee involved in the process to go green. Together with WWF, IMC has laid out plans to reduce paper consumption, and conserve water and electricity – all in a bid to minimise IMC’s overall carbon footprint.

Greener Operations

IMC makes conscious, systematic efforts to identify, record, and mitigate any environmental impacts that arise from operating processes. Gas emissions and energy usage in the plant or office are regularly monitored, and recycling is encouraged along the production process. With the prevailing national power shortage in mind, IMC has also installed solar panels as a means to generate independent and clean energy for the facility. Packing materials that were once discarded during the manufacturing cycle are now reused and recycled. All these efforts are in compliance with the end goals of reducing carbon emissions, energy consumption, and material waste.

Going Green From The Inside

Going green is not just implemented on an operations level, however; all employees within IMC are strongly encouraged to make a commitment to sustainable practices on an individual level as well. Apart from regular training and education programmes, IMC has also introduced several company-wide initiatives to advance environmental awareness among its employees. One such internal campaign carried the theme, “Seven Billion Dreams; One Planet; Consume with Care”, where employees are urged to manage their resources prudently. Posters, notices, and banners are hung up around the plant and its offices, spreading messages of recycling and conservation. Every June also marks the celebration of “World Environment Month” at IMC, where, as per annual tradition, 150 trees are planted around IMC’s campus.

These internal outreach efforts were not limited to staff alone, but extended to their families as well. IMC held an Eco Art Competition, where staff would submit original art created by their children. These artworks were later printed on eco-friendly, reusable cloth bags and distributed throughout the company. The core objective of this activity was to raise the level of environmental awareness amongst employees’ children – who are our next generation of gatekeepers for our planet.

Promoting Green Practices To Pakistan

The Green Office initiative was first implemented with WWF to promote the concept of environmental conservation to IMC employees. Now, this initiative is expanding in an endeavour to educate industry partners as well as consumers in the country. Environmentally friendly, recyclable paper bags with both Toyota and WWF’s logos were distributed to shopping centres and dealers alike, with two objectives in mind. Firstly, to discourage the use of plastic bags, which cannot be recycled and often end up as garbage in landfills. The second objective was to spread the message about the immense importance of reducing waste, and advocating the adoption of greener lifestyles.

Building A Green Society

These green initiatives with WWF are only the initial steps towards building a green and sustainable society in Pakistan. In our continuous efforts to educate the public, this programme is slated to roll out within local medical centers, schools, and colleges, and also will be featured at upcoming Toyota events and seminars. As a responsible corporate citizen, we will strive in our constant efforts to go green, and to bring continuous improvement to Pakistan’s natural environment.