Plumbing products manufacturer TOTO is the first in the industry to offer a material health evaluation for toilets. It is 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 high-efficiency toilets have been listed in the Declare database as Living Building Challenge Compliant or “declared.”
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 is deemed hazardous. As a result, TOTO immediately began working with its vendors to produce PVC-free flappers, refill tubes, and seat pads.
“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.”
