Conserving water | Manufacturing

Efforts in manufacturing

The TOTO Group strives to systematically reduce water consumption in manufacturing by identifying water stress by region in production sites and analyzing risks to the local community and business. 

Target companies

Scope:  TOTO Ltd. and all the 48 domestic and overseas consolidated subsidiaries

Goal

The TOTO Group has established the Global Environmental Action Plan based on the Global Environmental Policy and promotes the reduction of water consumption in manufacturing based on the 12th Global Environmental Action Plan with an activity period covering until FY 2026. 

Excerpts from 【 Global Environmental Policy 】

1. The TOTO Group develops water-saving, air-cleaning, and other environmentally friendly products and services and contributes to reducing the load on the global environment. 

・The TOTO Group performs an environmental assessment from the stages of research and development and the designing of products and services and carries out activities to reduce the environmental load through all stages from material purchasing to production, distribution, utilization, and disposal (water-saving, air cleaning, energy and resource conservation, controlling of chemicals, etc.).

2. The TOTO Group reduces environmental loads in every process of its business activities.

・In its efforts to reduce the environmental load, the TOTO Group takes action to employ superior technology and materials, conserve resources and energy, reduce waste and packaging materials, recycle materials, and protect the ozone layer and prevent global warming. 

・The TOTO Group develops production technologies taking into account environmental conservation to reduce the environmental load during production.

3. The TOTO Group builds an environmental management system for making continuous improvements. 

・In addition to complying with environmental laws and regulations, agreements and other requirements, the TOTO Group establishes its own standards to improve the control level and prevent pollution.

Reduction in water use per unit

　※1：per unit of sales

　※2：STAGE 1 period was from FY2021 to FY2023.

　※3：Compared with base year FY2018 per unit (FY2023 results)

Changes in water use

Water withdrawals

※1 Third party sources = This includes water provided by municipal water suppliers, public or private utilities, and wastewater from any other organization.

※2Water withdrawals – total volumes is guaranteed by third-party

Water consumption

※Water consumption（total volumes）=  Water withdrawals（total volumes）－ Water discharges（total volume）

Water recycled/reused

Water discharges

※1 Third party water = This includes municipal wastewater plants, public or private utilities, and other organizations involved in the transport, treatment, disposal or further use of wastewater.

※2 Has begun acquiring data for water discharged to Fresh surface water since FY 2018

Response to water risks

The TOTO Group evaluates water-related risks for sustainable business activities.

We conduct risk assessments for floods and water contaminations and specifically make efforts to grasp the details of water stress (the degree of tightness between water supply and demand) because we believe that it has a strong impact on business continuity. 

As a large quantity of water is used in the production processes, we strive to capture water stress of all the production site regiones to lead to effective responses. The evaluation method complies with the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative). We assess the water stress and water depletion of each production site regiones using Aqueduct, which was developed by the World Resources Institute and Water Risk Filter by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), to identify those under water stress.  

Seven production site regiones, which are in Mexico, mainland China, India, and Thailand, were assessed as extremely high water stress regiones. We work on investigating further and coming up with measures for those site regiones based on the results.

We also implement the following measures to respond to water stress. 

In ceramic sanitary ware manufacturing plants, we separate, collect, and reuse water mixed in the molding process where product shapes are formed. Also, we use sand filtration for wastewater treatment to reuse the water. With these efforts, we are able to sufficiently secure clean water.

In faucet manufacturing plants, we collect the water used for washing in the plating process and reuse it after being processed through ion-exchange equipment. With these efforts, we are able to sufficiently secure clean water.

TOTO's production sites

Measures to Reduce Water Consumption

The global-scale climate change and expanding water demand by population growth have caused serious shortage and depletion of water resources in various regions, possibly leading to an impact on water consumption in our business activities.

The water consumption of the TOTO Group in fiscal 2023 was 2.02 million cubic meters. Focused on the importance of conservation and effective use of water resources, TOTO sets goals for continuous water consumption reduction and has implemented strategic measures to reduce water consumption through water-saving activities and the increased use of recycled water at each business sites. 

As one of initiatives at business sites, ceramic sanitary ware plants treat drainage from production processes in each drainage treatment facility located there and reuse part of the treated drainage in production processes and washing water in toilet. (Headquarters, Kokura Factory No. 1, TOTO India Industries Pvt. Ltd. ,TOTO (Thailand) Co., Ltd., TOTO Mexico, S.A.de.C.V., etc.)

The TOTO Aquatechno Kokura Factory for faucet production has introduced the Water Circulating System to recycle drainage from the process of plating treatment, and is actively using the treated water. (TOTO Aquatechno Kokura Factory ,TOTO Dalian Co.,Ltd.)

Water discharges management

While endeavoring to prevent pollution relying on our environmental management system, we also make every effort to minimize environmental loads by setting our own strict standards in addition to complying with the law. And wet also strictly manages water discharges by reusing wastewater after being reprocessed within each site and introducing monitoring system and closure system to prevent any external discharge of wastewater in order to prevent water contamination by discharged water.

We also manage the number of cases of violations of environmental laws and regulations  in the Environmental Risk Initiatives.