Initiatives for Hydrogen Co-firing in Sanitary Ware Manufacturing

January 2026, the TOTO Sanitechno Kokura Plant, a TOTO Group company, began the world's first production using "hydrogen co-firing," a firing process that blends conventional city gas with "green hydrogen," which emits no CO₂, in the sanitary ware firing process. The TOTO Group has received certification from the SBT Initiative, an international framework, for its CO₂ emission reduction targets from business sites, and updated its target level to the 1.5°C standard in March 2024. 

TOTO's initiative to manufacture sanitary ware using hydrogen energy aims not only to reduce CO₂ emissions during the manufacturing process but also to build a production system that is resilient to external environmental changes across the entire process, including fuel procurement. We will promote these efforts to achieve a sustainable society and carbon neutrality, aiming to enhance our corporate value through both economic value, and social and environmental value.

Claim: “TOTO is the world’s first company to operate sanitary ware production using green hydrogen in the firing process.” Footnote: “Source: Euromonitor International Limited; based on custom research conducted in February - March 2026. This claim is verified among the top 20 Sanitary Ware manufacturers in the world based on the 2023 Sanitary Ware production volume (million Pcs.) and 3 Chinese Sanitary Ware manufacturers.”

Coal was used as fuel when the company was founded in 1917, but we have continuously worked to convert to fuels with lower CO₂ emissions, and by 2007, we had converted the fuel used in all our kilns, including those at overseas production sites, to city gas (natural gas). We have also advanced the productivity and environmental performance of our kilns, and in 2022, the TOTO Sanitechno Kokura Plant updated to highly insulated fiber kilns, reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 40% compared to the brick kilns used since 1971. Moving forward, we aim to achieve further CO₂ reductions by advancing hydrogen co-firing.

In March 2025, we introduced a hydrogen generator with the goal of establishing a new firing technology using green hydrogen co-firing. The building housing the hydrogen generator was named "Sui Station" through an internal naming contest, representing the "starting station" for our hydrogen energy initiatives. At this "Sui Station," we established the hydrogen co-firing technology by conducting repeated verification evaluations using green hydrogen produced with renewable energy.

By producing green hydrogen following the introduction of this generator, we obtained the first certification under the "City of Kitakyushu Low-Carbon Hydrogen Certification System".

In 2022, the TOTO Sanitechno Kokura Plant introduced a high-efficiency fiber kiln for the firing process, which consumes the most energy in sanitary ware manufacturing. By utilizing ceramic fiber, a fibrous material with excellent heat resistance, the overall insulation performance of the kiln has been dramatically improved. As a result, CO₂ emissions have been reduced by approximately 40% compared to conventional brick kilns.