To the surprise of nobody at Hotel Designs, GROHE has smashed its sustainability targets, and has announced an even greater sustainability commitment to the areas of water conversation and avoidance of plastics. Editor Hamish Kilburn takes a deeper look at the bathroom brand’s unquestionable achievements…
Every minute, a lorry load of plastic ends up in our oceans. The health of the oceans often seems like a distant problem, but all life on earth depends on the marine ecosystem’s health – this becomes very clear when you consider that approximately 70 percent of the oxygen we breathe is produced by the oceans. To mark this year’s Plastic Free July awareness campaign, GROHE published its third sustainability report, which outlines the brand’s continued commitment and efforts to sustainability, covering all aspects from business model and products to processes, employees and suppliers.
As evident in the newly published report, GROHE has been able to reduce its water consumption in production by 38.7 per cent, not only significantly exceeding its target of 20 percent first set in 2014, but also achieving it ahead of schedule. With projects such as the Less Plastic Initiative launched in 2018, the brand has also set itself the goal of eliminating plastic from its packaging. As a result, up until June 2021, 32 million pieces of plastic packaging have already been saved.
The report also provides an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at sustainability management at GROHE and the successes of recent years. In 2019, for example, 21,306 tonnes of the main materials used in the production process were recycled materials – a weight comparable to more than 106 blue whales. In this way waste is avoided, and, in the end, water that would be needed to produce new materials is also saved.
From linear to circular – GROHE paves the way for the economic model of the future
Building on its comprehensive sustainability measures of recent years, GROHE is now taking its sustainability strategy to a new level with the recent launch of four of the brand’s best-selling products as Cradle to Cradle variants.
This means that all four products have been tested for the use of environmentally safe, healthy and recyclable materials. The Cradle to Cradle approach goes far beyond the conventional recycling of products, as a tap, for example, is already designed and manufactured with the intent of using its components in its end-of-life-phase for the creation of new products.
GROHE Cradle to Cradle visual diagram
The circular journey continues – take-back processes for discarded C2C products
GROHE has taken a decisive step towards a circular future with the certification of its first Cradle to Cradle Certified products, but the journey continues. The brand is working on take-back processes for its discarded C2C products – an important step towards avoiding waste and saving valuable resources to help maintain the fragile balance of our ecosystems.
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Main image credit: GROHE
