Toyota Motor Europe is investing in a new 25,000m² “Circular Factory” in Wałbrzych, Poland, designed to process around 20,000 end-of-life vehicles (ELVs) a year. The site will recover reusable components and materials, including batteries, wheels, copper, steel, aluminium and plastics, to support Toyota’s circular-economy and carbon-neutrality strategy across Europe.
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has announced the establishment of its newest Circular Factory in Walbrzych, Poland. The facility will cover 25,000 square metres and process close to 20,000 End-Of-Life vehicles every year. This investment represents another significant step in TME’s strategy to develop a circular economy model based on the principles of reduce, reuse and recycle. The aim is to maximise environmental benefits through precise and systematic processing of vehicles at the end of their life cycle.
The new factory in Poland will apply a comprehensive approach to End-Of-Life vehicle processing. It will recover components that can be used again as well as valuable raw materials. Items such as batteries and wheels will be evaluated for their potential to be remanufactured, repurposed or recycled. Toyota also intends to recover materials including copper, steel, aluminium and plastics for use in the production of new vehicles.
The Circular Factory will expand the activities of the existing Walbrzych plant, which already produces key components for Toyota’s hybrid and conventional powertrains.
Leon van der Merwe
“This is our second Circular Factory in Europe. The first was launched in 2025 in Burnaston in the United Kingdom and has become our benchmark for the development of circular economy operations,” said Leon van der Merwe, Vice President of Circular Economy at Toyota Motor Europe.
“We selected Poland due to the strong market potential to source End-Of-Life vehicles, recycling upstream & downstream and the presence of our established manufacturing infrastructure. In the coming years, we plan to introduce similar investments in other European markets,” he added.
Circularity is both a pathway to and an enabler of carbon neutrality. It lowers the demand for carbon-intensive raw materials and strengthens supply chains. By designing vehicles for reuse, remanufacturing, recycling and material efficiency, circularity can help cut emissions across the entire value chain.
Toyota Motor Europe NV/SA (TME) oversees the wholesale sales and marketing of Toyota, GR (Gazoo Racing) and Lexus vehicles and parts and accessories, as well as Toyota’s European manufacturing and engineering operations. Toyota directly employs over 26,000 people and has invested over EUR 12 billion in Europe since 1990. Its eight European manufacturing plants are located in Portugal, the UK, France, Poland, Czech Republic and Turkey. Today, there are approximately 15,6 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles on European roads, whose drivers are supported by a network of 28 National Marketing and Sales Companies and around 2,300 retail sales outlets in 53 countries (EU, UK, EFTA countries , Israel, Turkey and other Eastern European countries). In 2025, TME sold 1,229,000 vehicles in Europe for a 7.2% market share.
Toyota believes that when people are free to move, anything is possible. In the pursuit of “Mobility for All”, Toyota aims to create safer, more connected, inclusive and sustainable mobility to achieve its mission of producing “Happiness for All”. In Europe, TME launched the KINTO mobility brand which offers a range of mobility services in 20 countries, and is growing its business-to-business sales of fuel cell products and engineering support. Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Toyota is working to achieve carbon neutrality in its entire business across Europe by 2040.
