Toyota UK Closes the Aluminium Loop on Vehicle Manufacturing

Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK has chosen its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire as the location for a recycling project under the Toyota Circular Factory initiative. The facility processes end-of-life vehicles to recover parts, remanufacture components and recycle materials.

The UK plant is establishing methods and standards for a future network of circular facilities across the region. According to Toyota, a second site will open in Poland later in 2026.

Aluminium recovery and reuse

Aluminium recovered from alloy wheels at the Burnaston facility is processed and supplied to Toyota's Deeside plant in North Wales. The material is used in engine component production at the Welsh site.

These hybrid power units are then shipped back to Burnaston for installation in new Corolla vehicles. The first car made using this circular process came off the line on 19 March 2026.

Umit Sengezer, Toyota Motor Europe Head of Toyota Circular Factory, says the facility is delivering results in its first year. "In the first year of its launch, TCF Burnaston is already delivering excellent results and giving us valuable insights, not just in how we handle vehicle end-of-life processes, but also how we can build circularity into the planning and design of future vehicles," Umit says.

He says the approach could help maximise the potential of materials, resources and parts the company uses. Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK Burnaston was chosen as an ideal location because the UK has one of Europe's largest end-of-life-vehicle markets.

Production system principles applied

According to Toyota, the facility uses Toyota Production System principles to evaluate how circular approaches could support more efficient vehicle design, manufacture and lifecycle management. The company has announced a second location in Europe at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland's Wałbrzych plant.

Leon Van Der Merwe, Toyota Motor Europe Vice President Circular Economy and Energy Business, says the company is applying production system concepts to circularity. "Toyota has a proud history of establishing the Toyota Production System, principles that have become the global standard for manufacturing efficiency," Leon says.

"Now we are applying the same concept to circularity, designing systems that will help ensure the maximum benefits are realised from end-of-life vehicle feedstock," he says. He says the ambition is to progressively establish a circular economy model where resources flow through multiple lifecycles.

This could reduce environmental impact, improve material security and support the company's long-term environmental commitment. According to Toyota, the facility directly supports the goals of the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050.

Sustainability leaders won’t want to miss Sustainability LIVE: The Leadership Summit at London Climate Action Week, taking place at Code Node on 25 June 2026.

Register now for this exclusive invite-only event. 

Environmental targets and performance

The carmaker announced its environmentally focused targets in 2015 to provide a framework for achieving carbon neutrality in all its global products and operations by 2050. In Europe, Toyota says it is committed to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2040.

Toyota recently reported its 2025/2026 financial results. According to the company, it recorded a ¥1.4tn (US$8.9bn) hit from tariffs in the financial year 2025/26.

The carmaker also projected a negative ¥670bn (US$4.3bn) Middle East impact as a result of the Iran war for the current fiscal year. The world's largest car maker posted record sales of 10,477,000 units across its Toyota and Lexus brands.

According to Toyota, hybrid sales were particularly strong and the company recorded growth in battery electric vehicle sales. NHK World Japan reported that Toyota is set to halt development of a next-generation electric sedan that it had hoped to start producing in 2027.