Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has announced the launch of its first Toyota Circular Factory (TCF) at its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire. The facility aims to maximise recycling, repurposing, and remanufacturing of end-of-life vehicles. It will begin operations in the third quarter of this year and serve as a model for future sites across Europe.
The TCF will focus on three areas: reintroducing reusable parts into the market, remanufacturing commodity items such as batteries and wheels, and recycling raw materials like copper, aluminium, steel, and plastic for use in new vehicle production.
TME expects the UK facility to process 10,000 vehicles annually, recovering 120,000 parts, 300 tonnes of high-purity plastic, and 8,200 tonnes of steel. The company plans to expand similar operations across Europe and collaborate with other organisations on circular economy initiatives.
Toyota aims to achieve complete carbon neutrality by 2040 and reduce CO2 emissions across its European product line-up by 100% by 2035. The TCF initiative supports these goals by cutting vehicle manufacturing and material use emissions.
