Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has reaffirmed its commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable practices in observance of World Forest Day and World Water Day on March 20, 2025, at Bangalore.
The company's initiatives align with the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 (TEC 2050), which aims to go beyond zero environmental impact and achieve a net positive impact on the planet. The challenge, launched in 2015, addresses issues such as carbon emissions, resource depletion, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss across its value chain.
TKM said it implements a comprehensive '4R' water management strategy—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recharge—at its manufacturing facilities. Currently, 89.3% of the company's total water requirement for production is met through recycled water and rainwater harvesting. The plant features rainwater harvesting ponds with a 51,000 cubic meter storage capacity and 18 groundwater recharge pits that have improved groundwater levels from 25.8 feet pre-monsoon to 16.1 feet post-monsoon in 2022.
On the biodiversity front, TKM has planted over 328,000 saplings across its premises since 2009 through the Toyota Greenwave Project. The initiative has created an ecosystem supporting more than 790 varieties of flora and 410 species of fauna. The company's Miyawaki afforestation method has achieved 30.86 tons of carbon sequestration per acre, compared to 8.45 tons per acre using conventional plantation methods.
"For us, sustainability is deeply woven into every aspect of our business," said B. Padmanabha, Executive Vice President & Director of Manufacturing at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, emphasizing the company's 26-year sustainability journey in India.
TKM operates a 25-acre Ecozone, an environmental learning center that has educated over 40,000 school children and hosts more than 650 species, including endangered wildlife. The company has also adopted the 3.4-acre Abbanakuppe Lake, which now benefits approximately 8,000 residents from six surrounding villages, with 94% of community respondents expressing high satisfaction with the project.
Toyota Kirloskar Motor is a joint venture with Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan holding 89% equity and Kirloskar Systems Limited of India holding 11%. The company employs over 6,500 people and operates on approximately 432 acres with a total installed production capacity of up to 342,000 units across two manufacturing plants in Bidadi.