Toro releases sustainability report
On June 11, the Toro Company released its Sustainability Impact Report for fiscal 2024, which the company said highlights “key achievements and progress made towards its strategic priorities of accelerating profitable growth, achieving operational excellence and empowering people. The report builds on the company’s longstanding commitment to helping customers enrich the beauty, productivity and sustainability of the land.”
Titled “Change how the world works,” the report makes clear that Toro is a global company that feels a responsibility “to support a more sustainable future for customers, partners and communities around the world.” Its approach to sustainability, the company says, is “centered on three key pillars: Product, People and Process. This framework guides the company’s efforts to create meaningful impact across its global operations.”
A recap of “achievements” it made in 2024, including:
- Advanced energy efficiency with electric equipment
- Launched a nationwide Battery Recycling Program in collaboration with longtime partner Call2Recycle
- Developed the autonomous Exmark Turf Tracer with XiQ Technology
- Strengthened partnership with Sentosa Golf Club, recognized globally as the leading eco-friendly golf facility
- Delivered productivity savings through initiatives targeting energy efficiency, reduced packaging waste, and enhanced ergonomic designs to improve workplace safety and productivity
- Broke ground on a new 170,000 square-foot paint facility for Ditch Witch in Perry, Oklahoma
- Introduced a Zero Waste to Landfill (ZWTL) program aimed at streamlining waste processes across North American operations
- Partnered with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) on a three-year initiative to support workforce development and empower the next generation of parks industry leaders
2025 Goals
This 94-page report also looks at Toro’s future for products and processes. In it, the company reiterated its goal for 2025 to “increase battery and hybrid product sales to at least 20% of total adjusted net sales (motorized product sales).”
The report also forecasts the coming shift to battery-powered and autonomous products, and what that might mean for Toro’s supply chain. “Essential resources such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and aluminum are critical to these technologies but come with a heightened dependence on critical minerals. To address these complexities, we are prioritizing transparency at every level, including tracing sub-tier suppliers back to raw material sources to ensure ethical sourcing practices.”
About its new autonomous Exmark Turf Tracer mower, the company said it is “future-ready. While it currently uses a gasoline-powered engine to meet market demand, Exmark has designed the platform to easily transition to electric power as customer needs and sustainability goals evolve. This forward-thinking approach ensures that customers adopting today’s technology will be ready for tomorrow’s advancements.”
