Toyota Motor Europe to open circular factory in Poland

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) has announced plans to open a circular factory in Walbrzych, Poland, its second such facility in Europe following the launch of a similar plant in Burnaston, United Kingdom, in 2025. The 25,000 m² facility will process close to 20,000 end-of-life vehicles annually, recovering components and raw materials including copper, steel, aluminium, and plastics for use in new vehicle production.

The new factory will expand operations at TME’s existing Walbrzych plant, which currently produces components for hybrid and conventional powertrains. Items such as batteries and wheels will be assessed for remanufacturing, repurposing, or recycling as part of a systematic end-of-life processing approach.

TME said Poland was selected for its market potential in sourcing end-of-life vehicles and the presence of established manufacturing infrastructure. The company said it plans to introduce similar investments in other European markets in the coming years.

In a statement, Leon van der Merwe, Vice President of Circular Economy at Toyota Motor Europe, said: “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. We selected Poland due to the strong market potential to source end-of-life vehicles, recycling upstream and downstream and the presence of our established manufacturing infrastructure.”

Source: Toyota