Product Safety
The Toro Company is committed to developing innovative and safe products that yield performance, productivity and environmental benefits for our customers.
Unique to the industry, The Toro Company’s Center for Technology, Research & Innovation (CTRI) has been influential in the development of products that increase productivity, save water, reduce fuel consumption, and improve growing conditions. This group, comprised of leading agronomists and engineers, has also laid the foundation for future innovations in robotics, fuel cells, advanced battery technologies and site assessment.
The Toro Company is dedicated to building ever-safer products to minimize risk for our customers when operated in accordance with published operating instructions.
Product Quality
At The Toro Company, we believe our customers deserve quality products that meet performance expectations and prove to be reliable and durable. That is why The Toro Company prioritizes product quality throughout our development and manufacturing processes.
Product Safety
Design and development processes of The Toro Company include rigorous protocols for the delivery of innovative product safety features. We comply with all mandatory safety standards set by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), European Union and other agencies worldwide, and have long been instrumental in the development of industry voluntary safety standards.
The Toro Company and its manufacturing locations have implemented stringent safeguards to remove toxic hazards from products and packaging, thereby reducing our environmental impact. This requires close partnership with our suppliers to similarly reduce toxic materials in our components and parts. We also collaborate with our distributor partners and public agencies to recycle batteries, tires and other materials to limit environmentally harmful waste.
We work with third-party recyclers to convert used irrigation drip tape from agricultural fields into products like garbage bags, plastic lumber and highway barriers. This reduces the impact of disposal of Toro products and conserves precious, petroleum-based component materials.
The Toro Company is committed to compliance with Rule 13p-1 under the Securities Exchange Act and takes its obligations under the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulations seriously.
| Australia | 1-800-955-174 |
| Belgium | 0-800-100-10 followed by 1-800-850-7247 |
| China | 4006612175 |
| Germany | 0-800-225-5288 followed by 1-800-850-7247 |
| Italy | 800-797121 |
| Mexico | 001-844-237-4647 |
| Poland | 00-800-151-0270 |
| Romania | 0800477041 |
| United Kingdom | 0808-234-9109 |
| United States | 1-800-850-7247 |
What is this warning?
You may see a product for sale that has a warning label like the following:
WARNING: Cancer and Reproductive Harm - www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.
This warning is required by the California Proposition 65 (Prop 65), which is meant to notify California residents of exposures to Prop 65-listed chemicals.
What is Prop 65?
Prop 65 applies to any company operating in California, selling products in California, or manufacturing products that may be sold in or brought into California. It mandates that the Governor of California maintain and publish a list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, and/or other reproductive harm. The list, which is updated annually, includes hundreds of chemicals found in many everyday items. The purpose of Prop 65 is to inform the public about exposure to these chemicals.
Prop 65 does not ban the sale of products containing these chemicals but instead requires warnings on any product, product packaging, or literature with the product. Moreover, a Prop 65 warning does not mean that a product is in violation of any product safety standards or requirements. In fact, the California government has clarified that a Prop 65 warning “is not the same as a regulatory decision that a product is ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe.’” Many of these chemicals have been used in everyday products for years without documented harm. For more information, go to https://oag.ca.gov/prop65/faqs-view-all.
A Prop 65 warning means that a company has either (1) evaluated the exposure and has concluded that it exceeds the “no significant risk level”; or (2) has chosen to provide a warning based on its understanding about the presence of a listed chemical without attempting to evaluate the exposure.
Does this law apply everywhere?
Prop 65 warnings are required under California law only. These warnings are seen throughout California in a wide range of settings, including but not limited to restaurants, grocery stores, hotels, schools, and hospitals, and on a wide variety of products. Additionally, some online and mail order retailers provide Prop 65 warnings on their websites or in catalogs.
How do the California warnings compare to federal limits?
Prop 65 standards are often more stringent than federal and international standards. There are various substances that require a Prop 65 warning at levels that are far lower than federal action limits. For example, the Prop 65 standard for warnings for lead is 0.5 μg/day, which is well below the federal and international standards.
Why don’t all similar products carry the warning?
- Products sold in California require Prop 65 labelling while similar products sold elsewhere do not.
- A company involved in a Prop 65 lawsuit reaching a settlement may be required to use Prop 65 warnings for its products, but other companies making similar products may have no such requirement.
- The enforcement of Prop 65 is inconsistent.
- Companies may elect not to provide warnings because they conclude that they are not required to do so under Prop 65; a lack of warnings for a product does not mean that the product is free of listed chemicals at similar levels.
Why does Toro include this warning?
Toro has chosen to provide consumers with as much information as possible so that they can make informed decisions about the products they buy and use. Toro provides warnings in certain cases based on its knowledge of the presence of one or more listed chemicals without evaluating the level of exposure, as not all the listed chemicals provide exposure limit requirements. While the exposure from Toro products may be negligible or well within the “no significant risk” range, out of an abundance of caution, Toro has elected to provide the Prop 65 warnings. Moreover, if Toro does not provide these warnings, it could be sued by the State of California or by private parties seeking to enforce Prop 65 and subject to substantial penalties.
The Toro Company (Toro) is committed to compliance with Europe’s Regulation (EC) No. 1907/2006 concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). Pursuant to Article 33 of REACH, any supplier of an article, as defined in Article 3 of REACH, containing one or more substances of very high concern (SVHC) in a concentration above 0.1% weight by weight (w/w) is subject to specific duties to communicate information. SVHCs are included in the authentic Candidate List published on the European Chemical Agency’s (ECHA) website.
The Toro Company (Toro) is aware of its legal duties under Article 33 of REACH and monitors updates to the SVHC Candidate List and amendments to REACH. Based on evaluations of the raw materials and components that make up our products, together with collaboration and communication with our suppliers, Toro satisfies the requirements of Article 33 as they relate to our products. We query our supply chain regarding the presence of SVHCs and communicate that information to our channel partners and customers in accordance with the REACH requirements.
Moreover, Toro observes the restrictions specified in Annex XVII of REACH with respect to the manufacture, placing on the market and use of certain dangerous substances, mixtures and articles.
The Toro Company has worked with its suppliers to use engines compliant with applicable worldwide exhaust and evaporative emission standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Air Resources Board (CARB), and the European Union.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Tier 4 emissions regulations for non-road diesel engines (25-74 horsepower) took effect January 1, 2013. These regulations require particulate matter emissions to be reduced 90 percent, plus additional reductions in Nitrogen Oxides emissions.
- To ensure compliance with these emissions regulations, Toro has partnered with Yanmar America to supply Tier 4 compliant engines.
Gasoline-powered products:
- EPA Phase 3 emission standards for small off-road engines, implemented during 2011 and 2012, have reduced exhaust hydrocarbons by roughly 35 percent and evaporative emissions by about 45 percent.
- Our product specifications have been changed in accordance with EPA and CARB guidelines to incorporate low permeation fuel lines and tanks, sealed and tethered fuel caps, carbon canisters, and other modifications.
The Toro Company and its subsidiaries (collectively “TTC”) strongly oppose modern slavery by any person or organization, including its business partners. Furthermore, as a manufacturer doing business globally, TTC is committed to compliance with all applicable modern slavery transparency laws.