Having its cars, and its reputation

CALL IT a guilty conscience or call it uncanny business sense. But Toyota, Japan's largest car manufacturer, is busy trying to produce a genetically-engineered tree which can absorb larger amounts of carbon dioxide than its more natural counterparts.

The research programme first aims at identifying and cultivating existing tree species which absorb the most carbon. So far, 2,500 poplars and other trees have been identified and planted on a 7,000-sq-metre plot at the company's test centre outside Tokyo.

In five years, the company hopes to have its trees growing along roadsides, absorbing at least some of the carbon dioxide spewing from its cars being produced at the targeted rate of over 4.9 million a year. This way, it'll have its cars and its reputation for being environmental-friendly too.