TOKYO -- Toyota Motor has asked its main auto parts suppliers to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 3% in 2021 versus last year, Nikkei learned Wednesday.

The Japanese automaker plans to accelerate its decarbonization efforts by setting numerical targets. Toyota's drive to decarbonize its supply chain could spur other industries to set more detailed goals and speed up their own programs to tackle climate change.

Toyota executives recently held a briefing with suppliers on going carbon-neutral. The automaker asked 300 to 400 tier-one suppliers, all of which have direct business relations with Toyota, to reduce their emissions this year. Although there may be some exceptions depending on the type of parts they make, the reduction target was set at 3% in principle.

Although Toyota did not present any long-term numerical goals to their auto parts partners, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 3% a year would mean a 30% reduction in the next 10 years compared with last year's level and a 45% cutback in the next 15 years. This nearly coincides with the Japanese government's goal of cutting emissions by 46% to 50% below 2013 levels by 2030.

Toyota made the request only to its primary suppliers, but those suppliers procure parts and materials from secondary and tertiary manufacturers. Thus, the request is expected to eventually affect nearly 30,000 companies that do business with Toyota.

This is not the first time Toyota has asked its partners to cooperate in its environmental efforts. In 2015, it rolled out a plan to achieve zero carbon dioxide emissions in its entire manufacturing process by 2050. However, given the rapid shift toward decarbonization, Toyota aims to seek help from its business partners to achieve that goal earlier.

Toyota's new initiative comes as the world gears up to decarbonize. As it works toward greener manufacturing, the automaker's business partners and competitors are likely to follow suit, providing more impetus for emissions cuts.