Toyota New Zealand network gets Enviro-Mark Gold certification

Toyota New Zealand’s entire dealer network has officially been certified Enviro-Mark Gold standard or better. Enviro-Mark is a nationally recognised environmental management program in which organisations progress through five levels, from bronze to diamond, and are independently audited at each step.

Dealers have been working since 2010 to achieve Enviro-Mark certification, with measures including recycling, decreasing waste and carefully managing water and energy use. Every dealer has set up projects to manage CO₂ emissions and wastewater, as well as individual projects focused on a specific impact of their choice. With Northland Toyota’s newly built premises certified this month, the national dealer network is now the only network in New Zealand to be Enviro-Mark certified.

Northland Toyota CEO Bryce Woodward and Service Manager Steve Clinch with the dealership’s water recycling unit.

Toyota Environmental Officer Tristan Lavender said Enviro-Mark is an important part of managing the environmental impacts across Toyota’s entire supply chain and for delivering on user expectations. To achieve Gold certification, he said, “dealers must establish clear environmental objectives and targets, monitor significant impacts, develop an action plan and document procedures to manage potential impacts”.

The Northland Toyota premises contain a number of purpose-built environmental features which help contribute to substantial energy and water savings. The dealership has four 25,000 L rainwater tanks, which gives it 100,000 L of water to use for its car wash and workshop. A recycling unit in the car wash which means 80% of the water can be re-used back through the car wash.

The tanks have minimised the dealership’s need for council-supplied water, reducing the costs for water supply and enabling further saving in development contributions paid to the council. They also provide sufficient quantities of readily available water to avoid the need to include a fire hydrant on the dealership site.

Northland has also incorporated energy-efficient LED and fluorescent lighting in the showroom and yard. Its workshop features lux meters which automatically adjust electric lighting depending on the natural light available at any given time. State-of-the-art air conditioning uses Eagle Eye technology to adjust heating and cooling outputs depending on where people are in the dealership, with natural ventilation adding to the building’s comfort levels.

Other dealerships have initiated a wide range of projects to help them achieve their Enviro-Mark Gold status. Lavender said, “Projects across the network include waste battery recycling, coolant recycling, solid and skip waste management, solvent management and recycling and e-waste management. Other dealers have overhauled their processes around oil storage and bunding, used oil and filter management or chemical thresholds and safe storage to ensure they are safer and more environmentally friendly.”

Enviro-Mark has saved Toyota’s dealer network around 1 million kWh of electricity since it introduced the energy-saving programs - the equivalent of around 160 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. Lavender noted that there have been other advantages as well: “For example, a number of the dealers have saved thousands of dollars on their electricity and waste collection costs, while others have won fleet tenders from companies which share similar values and appreciate the efforts their local dealership has made.”

Toyota New Zealand provides ongoing support for dealership environmental management and has provided full Enviro-Mark training for all dealers, assisting dealers with Enviro-Mark requirements and audit follow-up and countermeasures.

Toyota New Zealand CEO Alistair Davis says the dealers’ response to Enviro-Mark not only highlights their focus on sustainability initiatives and minimising environmental impacts, but also a sea change in public thinking. He said Enviro-Mark is an important part of Toyota’s commitment to reducing emissions, but noted “this is very much a long game for us”.