Toyota to open a car recycling plant in Poland
Toyota Motor Europe announced the establishment of a new Circular Factory in Wałbrzych, Poland. The complex will cover an area of 25,000 square meters and have an annual capacity of around 20,000 end-of-life vehicles.
What is known
The project is part of the company's strategy to develop a circular economy based on the principles of resource reduction, reuse, and recycling.
The plant will take a comprehensive approach to vehicle recycling. The company plans to extract reusable components and valuable materials. Batteries and wheels will be assessed for recovery, reuse, or recycling. Additionally, the enterprise will focus on returning copper, steel, aluminum, and plastic for use in the production of new vehicles.
Circular Factory will extend the activities of the existing plant in Wałbrzych, which already produces key components for hybrid powertrains and conventional internal combustion engines for Toyota.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland plant. Photo: Toyota
According to Leon Van Der Merwe, Vice President for Circular Economy at Toyota Motor Europe, this is the company's second such facility in Europe. The first Circular Factory was launched in 2025 in Burnaston, UK.
Poland was chosen due to its high market potential for end-of-life vehicles, an advanced recycling system at various stages of the supply chain, and the presence of existing Toyota production infrastructure. In the coming years, the company plans to implement similar projects in other European countries.
Developing a circular model is seen by Toyota as one of the key tools to achieve carbon neutrality. The reuse of components and materials reduces the need for resources with a high carbon footprint and strengthens the resilience of supply chains. Designing vehicles with reuse, recovery, and recycling in mind should help reduce emissions across the entire production chain.
Source: Toyota
