MIMASAKA, Japan — Toyota was the darling of environmental consumers not so long ago, barely able to produce enough lean-burning, pioneering Prius hybrids to accommodate the growing legions of ecologically motivated buyers.
Suddenly, the Japanese giant has become a scourge in some corners, with critics from the Sierra Club to Greenpeace deriding the automaker for what they perceive as foot-dragging on full- electric vehicles.
Greenpeace — an environmental group best known for its anti-whaling campaigns — this month harpooned Toyota in its 2021 Auto Environmental Guide. The report ranks Toyota at the bottom of the industry in an environmental score that takes into account how a company is phasing out internal combustion engines, the carbon impact of its supply chain and the sustainability of the business in terms of reusing and recycling items such as batteries and metals.