Toto last week announced that it now ships all its plumbing products via the UPS carbon neutral program, which charges the manufacturer for the carbon footprint left by plane, train, and truck deliveries, and invests the offsets into environment rehabilitation programs. Toto said it plans to ship more than 75,000 carbon neutral packages in the first year.
“Toto is proud to be the first company worldwide to incorporate UPS’s carbon neutral initiative into our small package supply chain,” said Lenora Campos, spokeswoman for the Japan-based manufacturer that has U.S. headquarters in Georgia.
UPS calculates the total carbon dioxide emissions from its delivery vehicles transporting Toto’s packages and charges the manufacturer a fee, or “carbon credit,” said UPS spokeswoman Elizabeth Rasberry. UPS then invests the money in projects such as reforestation, wastewater treatment, and landfill gas destruction, she said.
All UPS deliveries now include the option of a carbon neutral charge, one shipment at a time, but Toto signed up for the aggregate option, said Rasberry: Every faucet, showerhead, and toilet the company ships is money toward an environmentally responsible project.
The flat-rate fee for carbon neutral shipping is 5 cents per package for UPS Ground services within the U.S. and 20 cents for Next Day Air, 2nd Day Air, and 3 Day Select, according to UPS.
Toto already invests in reducing the carbon footprint of its 80-plus facilities worldwide, recycling damaged vitreous china into roadbeds, reusing heat from the firing process to power kilns, and reducing waste streams to nearly nothing, according to the firm.
In addition, the company lubricates its hydraulic systems with biodegradable soybean-based oils and recycles materials from cardboard and pallets to computer equipment.
Evelyn Royer is editorial assistant for EcoHome.
