GROHE Nachhaltigkeitsbericht DE

3rd GROHE sustainability report

World Ocean Day 2021: GROHE publishes third sustainability report and celebrates sustainability success in resource conservation

  • GROHE significantly exceeds sustainability targets

  • Increased sustainability commitment in the areas of water conservation and plastic avoidance

  • GROHE manifests its commitment to circular value creation with the launch of four Cradle to Cradle Certified® products

Düsseldorf, June 8, 2021 – Every minute, a truckload of plastic ends up in our oceans (1). 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 (2). This year's World Ocean Day on June 8 raises public awareness of this very issue and supports the global effort to protect at least 30 percent of the oceans by 2030.

With its sustainability commitment, which focuses on both resource consumption and waste avoidance, GROHE also contributes to this goal. As evident in the newly published sustainability report, GROHE was able to reduce its water consumption in production by 38.7 percent (3) and has thus not only significantly exceeded the target of 20 percent set in 2014, but has already achieved 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, 32 million pieces of plastic packaging could already be saved by June 2021.

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 tons 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 for the production of new materials is also saved.

From linear to circular – GROHE paves the way for the economic model of the future

Building on the comprehensive sustainability measures of recent years, GROHE is now taking its sustainability strategy to a new level with the current launch of four 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 (C2C) approach goes far beyond the conventional recycling of products, as a faucet, 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. More information on the certification process and the need for new, circular value creation systems can be found in the video here:

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. Faucets generally have a long life cycle, yet GROHE is already tackling the next challenge in addition to obtaining certifications for other products: 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 ecosystem.

(1) World Economic Forum, 2016.
(2) Walker, J. C. G., 1980.
(3) Comparison GROHE financial year 2020 (April 2019-March 2020) to base year 2014.




Contact

Melanie Vrenegor
Melanie Vrenegor

Melanie Vrenegor

Senior Communications Manager Sustainability

+49 211/9130 3030