Toyota Signs Sustainability Partnership Agreement

On Friday, December 4, 2009, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia, Inc. the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Region III and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) held a signing ceremony at the plant in Buffalo, West Virginia. The Sustainability Partnership is an EPA Region III initiative to facilitate environmental sustainability at major organizations in the mid-Atlantic region through a collaborative effort. By sharing expertise within programs such as WaterSense, ENERGY STAR and WasteWise, etc., EPA has proven that working with industry, institutions and governments can produce significant results in the reduction of waste generation, natural resource usage, and energy consumption.


In the photo, left to right, EPA Region III Administrator, Shawn M. Garvin; President Tetsuji “Ted” Okuda, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, WV; WV Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Randy Huffman and Jeff Moore, Vice President, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, WV, are shown at the signing ceremony.

In 2000 Toyota’s Buffalo, WV facility began implementing an environmental management system (EMS). Three years later it remains a zero landfill contributor – reusing or recycling materials that otherwise would have been sent to landfills. By implementing the EMS and setting long-term goals, Toyota is already addressing ways to reduce waste, water usage, greenhouse gas emissions, hazardous materials usage and wastewater discharge.

For more information about EPA mid-Atlantic’s Sustainable Partnership, go to http://www.epa.gov/reg3wcmd/spp/index.html