Less is More

‘Small changes can make big differences’ is a frequent refrain in sustainability circles. In 2020 our Product Planning team implemented an example of this, when reviewing the many and varied items put in the vehicle cabin interiors prior to sale – known in the industry as the ‘Local Supply List’ (LSL).

Wise resource use is one of the core pillars of Toyota New Zealand’s Sustainability Strategy, and often the most effective way to achieve this is through reducing items at source. The goal of Toyota’s Product Planning team in 2020 was to review and streamline the LSL where this posed no loss in quality or customer experience.

All 117 items were appraised against the following kaizen criteria:

• Merge – combine one document with another existing document, and be mindful to reduce the content rather than add more pages.
• Digitise – replace a physical document with an online digital version, so only those documents that need to be printed are printed.
• Delete – discontinue unnecessary items.

Eight items (totalling more than 80,000 individual pieces) were selected for streamlining or complete removal.

In addition to the environmental benefits (resources, emissions and waste reduction), there is a solid business case – from savings in costs, staff administration and fitment time to improving the customer experience by shrinking the quantity of supplementary items and the space they take up in the glove compartment and door pockets of their new car.

Going forward, two additional goals must be satisfied:

• Items will only be added to the LSL if they are deemed essential and cannot be replicated electronically.
• Items remaining on the LSL must be produced in an environmentally responsible manner.