Toyota Kirloskar Motor wins CII-ITC sustainability award for excellence in biodiversity

In a recognition of its commitment towards sustainable business practices, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has been accorded the CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2022, under the category ‘Excellence in Biodiversity’ (Manufacturing Sector) by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). The award was presented by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, government of India.  

Instituted in 2006, the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards recognise and reward excellence in businesses that seek 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: 

- Green Wave Project which promotes 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 326,000 trees across 112 acres of land within its Bidadi factory premises. These include 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 200,000 saplings have been distributed to its employee households and nearby community, restoring habitat and enhancement of biodiversity 

Promoting good practices on sustainable development

Under its Education for Sustainable Development 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 centre called Ecozone (spread across 25 acres with 17 theme parks and home to 65,000 trees with 650 native species) for children, within its manufacturing facility aimed at creating the environment leaders and change champions for the future, to usher in desired behavioural change in the communities.

This facility also enables to explore and understand suitable solutions to address various existing environmental issues as well as to sensitise stakeholders towards adopting eco-friendly lifestyle and minimising the impact on the planet. It 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.  

TKM Ecozone project aims to connect children with nature, promote environmental awareness beyond classroom learning and inculcate a behaviour towards the conservation of the environment.

The ’Today for Tomorrow Project’ has seen TKM undertake rejuvenation of the Abbanakuppe Lake under the TKM CSR initiative, benefitting more than 8,000 villagers from six villages.  

TKM also 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 3,000 dibbles), land clean-up covering more than 0.5 acres of area, making bird nests from plastic bottles (230 bottles were recycled into planters) and imbibing the sense of  biodiversity conservation amongst youths from 100 shelter homes, reaching out to more than 59,000 people till date. 

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  and net zero carbon in manufacturing operations’ by 2035. 

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 utilises natural resources while operating in harmony with the natural environment'. 

Commenting on the company receiving the CII-ITC Sustainability Award 2022, Raju B Ketkale, Executive Vice-President of Toyota Kirloskar Motor, 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 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."