Toyota is to green its European retail outlets to BREEAM-based standards

22 July 2008

Toyota Motor Europe has announced ambitious plans to apply an environmental standard based on BREEAM to all its 3,000 Toyota retail units throughout Europe. From 2009, all new builds and refurbishments will be subject to an independent environmental assessment.

The assessment method will include environmental criteria across eight categories: energy, water, waste and materials, pollution, land use and ecology, health and well-being, management and transport. The first two ‘Sustainable Retailers’ twill be piloted in Sweden and France this year.

“We are working with Toyota to develop a bespoke version of BREEAM specifically geared to their Toyota retailers across Europe ” said Clare Lowe, Associate Director, BREEAM. “This work has involved us tailoring the UK BREEAM Retail guidance to the specific needs of car showrooms in a European context.”

Toyota’s adoption of BREEAM adds a further influential name to the list of users throughout Europe. Earlier this year the International Council of Shopping Centers announced that it is adapting the methodology for European retail developments. It is already applying BREEAM to pilot projects in Germany and Turkey.

Toyota Motor Europe oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota and Lexus vehicles, parts and accessories together with Toyota’s European manufacturing and engineering operations. Toyota directly and indirectly employs around 80,000 people in Europe and has invested almost €7 billion since 1990. Toyota sold 1,238,638 Toyota and Lexus vehivles in Europe, enjoying its 11th consecutive record year of sales. For more information, go to www.toyota.eu

BREEAM (BRE Environmental Assessment Method) is the world’s leading and most widely used environmental assessment method for buildings, with over 100,000 buildings certified and over half a million registered. It sets the standard for best practice in sustainable design and has become the de facto measure used to describe a building’s environmental performance. Credits are awarded in nine categories according to performance. These credits are then added together to produce a single overall score on a scale of Pass, Good, Very Good, Excellent and Outstanding. The operation of BREEAM is overseen by an independent Sustainability Board, representing a wide cross-section of construction industry stakeholders. www.breeam.org.