Toyota opens ‘circular factory’ in Poland

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) is expanding its circular economy footprint with a new car recycling facility in Wałbrzych, Poland.

The 25 000 m² facility will process around 20 000 end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) annually. The move strengths Toyota’s strategy to reduce, reuse and recycle materials across its European operations.

The Polish site will recover reusable components while extracting valuable secondary raw materials. Batteries and wheels will undergo assessment for remanufacturing, repurposing or recycling.

At the same time, the plant will reclaim copper, steel, aluminium and plastics for integration into new vehicle production.

The recycling hub is being constructed near an existing facility that produces key components for Toyota’s hybrid and conventional powertrains.

Benchmark site

The investment marks Toyota’s second ‘circular factory’ in Europe. The first opened in Burnaston, United Kingdom, in 2025 and is a benchmark for the group’s recycling activities.

By doing so, Toyota aims to reduce reliance on virgin resources and lower the carbon footprint of its manufacturing operations.

Leon van der Merwe, vp of Circular Economy at Toyota Motor Europe, says the company selected Poland for strategic reasons. ‘We chose Poland due to the strong market potential to source ELVs, well-developed recycling networks and our established manufacturing infrastructure. In the coming years, we plan to introduce similar investments in other European markets.’

Sustainable vision

The integration of recycling and manufacturing activities reflects a growing trend among OEMs to internalise material recovery and secure secondary raw material streams.

There are currently around 15.6 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles on European roads. As these vehicles reach end of life, structured recovery systems will become increasingly important to manage material flows and reduce environmental impact.

The Polish project also aligns with Toyota’s wider sustainability targets. The company aims to achieve carbon neutrality across its entire European business by 2040, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.