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Morrow, Ga. — Sept. 17, 2015 — Committed to transparency in the manufacture of products that contribute to a healthy, sustainable environment, TOTO announced that it has achieved another plumbing industry first by offering material health evaluations for an initial six high-efficiency toilets (HETs).
TOTO is now the only plumbing manufacturer whose products have earned the International Living Future Institute's (IFLI) Declare label and are listed in the Declare Products Database.
Often compared to the nutritional labeling found on packaged food, Declare labels focus on specific information important to consumers and building industry professionals by offering a transparent platform for the disclosure of materials, chemicals, and elements known to pose risks to human health or the environment.
After a thorough investigation of their constituent materials, TOTO's initial six HETs have been listed in the Declare database as Living Building Challenge Compliant or “declared.”
“TOTO is pleased to be the first market mover in our industry to earn the IFLI's Declare label, providing insight into our efforts to reduce the health and environmental impacts of the materials and processes used in the manufacture of our world-class bathroom products,” said Bill Strang, president of operations for the Americas, TOTO USA. “Transparency is the cornerstone of all our initiatives and key to providing customers with informed choices about our products and a profound understanding of the ethic upon which we operate.”
During the rigorous Declare label evaluation process, TOTO learned that changes to its product line would be required to be Living Building Challenge Compliant. The polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in its toilets' rubber flappers, plastic refill tubes, and seat pads was deemed hazardous. As a result, TOTO immediately began working with its vendors to produce PVC-free flappers, refill tubes, and seat pads. TOTO now offers PVC-free high-efficiency toilets, which are Living Building Challenge Complaint.
"TOTO is a true leader in product transparency and material health. Not only are they the first plumbing manufacturer to disclose their full product formulation for Declare, but they worked diligently to remove Red List components during the review process, which earned them another first,” said James Connelly, director, Living Products Challenge. “TOTO has the only toilets in the Declare database that comply with the Living Building Challenge, the world's most advanced sustainability certification in the built environment.”
TOTO USA is headquarters for the Americas Division of the TOTO Global Group, which was established in 1917 with the founding of TOTO, Ltd., in Kitakyushu, Japan. TOTO is the world’s largest manufacturer of bathroom fixtures and fittings with $5.1 billion dollars in annual sales.
For more information, visit www.totousa.com.
