• With nearly one third of Europeans living in areas experiencing water strain, new and innovative solutions are required to transform how we use water in the home

• GROHE’s new concept provides an enjoyable shower experience while cutting water use by up to 75%, and energy use by up to 66% for a 10-minute shower – saving a family of four over €1,300 a year [1]

• This new concept extends GROHE’s range of resource-saving products that make it easy to reduce water usage in the home 

London, 20th September 2022 – Droughts and water scarcity are becoming everyday challenges for people across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Almost 1 in 3 Europeans are affected by water strain in an average year [2] 11 out of the 17 most water stressed countries in the world [3] are in the Middle East and Africa. 

GROHE, a leading global brand for complete bathroom solutions and kitchen fittings, today unveiled a new water-recycling shower concept, expanding the brand's range of bathroom and kitchen products that promote efficient water use and make sustainable choices easier. It shows how a new generation of sanitary solutions can drastically cut water use. Nowhere is this more important than in the bathroom – which accounts for over two thirds of daily water use [4]. In addition, water is the second biggest source of energy use in the home [5].  Improved water efficiency cuts fossil fuel use, energy bills, and carbon emissions. 

GROHE’s circular solution cleanses, reheats, and reuses water in order to use only a quarter of the water and a third of the energy typically required by traditional showers, resulting into a cost-saving of up to 65% a year for a four-person household and up to 70% less CO2 emissions. This new technology has been designed to create the shower experience desired, but by using as little fresh water as possible.  

Jonas Brennwald, Leader, LIXIL EMENA comments: “The water stress challenge is one of the biggest issues of our time. And there's no alternative but to address it boldly – especially if water is core to your business. For our GROHE brand, combining ‘Pure Freude an Wasser’ with sustainability has always been integral to its DNA. We think the best way to help people save water, is by making products that they enjoy using and don’t compromise on comfort.”

“Looking at our professional partners, we believe the construction industry will need to meet ever more stringent standards as regulators look to build water security and consumers demand sustainable solutions. We will continue to invest in innovation to help our partners stay ahead of these trends and create the sustainable homes of the future,” Brennwald concludes.

Consume less, enjoy more

The water-recycling shower concept presents a vision of how the home can actively and positively shape our personal impact on the planet and its resources. It divides the shower process into three parts allowing users to enjoy the experience, safe in the knowledge they are minimising waste. 

1) First, users start the shower with fresh water, as with any regular shower. 
2) Once finished using the shampoo or soap, the user can switch mode: The water collected in the drain after switching is pumped into a circuit, maintaining the desired temperature, and hygienically treating the water. 
3) After use, cleaning takes place to prepare the shower for the next user.

Making water efficiency attractive

“It is our mission to provide state-of-the-art technologies for using water resources sustainably while also creating additional environmental value for water. We already supply a wide range of taps, showers, and toilets that help people use far less water at home without noticing they are doing so. In taps for example, GROHE’s EcoJoy technology uses a flow limiter and an aerator which enriches the water with air to create a voluminous experience using up to 50% less water. The new circulating shower solution goes one step further – showing the enhanced savings that can be made by products which help consumers actively make a sustainable choice every day. We are very much looking forward to the responses by our customers to the water-recycling shower concept and are working hard to bring it to market maturity soon,” says David Mainka, Leader Electronics, and Innovation R&D Fittings, LIXIL International.

As part of LIXIL’s strong brand portfolio, GROHE’s sustainability activities as well as product developments are embedded in LIXIL’s Environmental Vision which calls for Zero Carbon and Circular Living. Water sustainability is one of the focus areas here. The goal is to help people enjoy water while ensuring sustainable water use on a global scale to have a positive impact on the planet.

[1] Based on 300 10-minute showers per person per year

[2] European Environment Agency, “Water resources across Europe – confronting water stress: an updated assessment”, 27 October 2021 [3] 

UNICEF, “Water scarcity in the Middle East and North Africa”

[4] German Association of Energy and Water Industries, Water Statistics, 2021

[5] Federal Statistical Office 2018, www.destatis.de

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