● As part of the global initiative, GROHE is driving sustainability transformation based on the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals
● The German Sustainability Award 2021 honours GROHE's commitment to resource efficiency within the value chain and the sustainability impact of GROHE Blue
● The sanitary brand emphasises: Sustainability must be understood as a continuous, never-ending journey


Düsseldorf, 14 December 2020 – “We at GROHE have a doer mentality: We don’t talk too much, we basically implement,” is how Thomas Fuhr, Leader Fittings LIXIL International and Co-CEO Grohe AG, describes how sustainability is implemented and translated into concrete action at GROHE in a documentary. The short film is part of the global sustainability and climate protection initiative “50 Sustainability & Climate Leaders,” for which GROHE was elected along with 49 other international companies. As pioneers in their respective industries, the companies portrayed demonstrate how they are actively committed to a sustainable future grounded in the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, and in doing so, inspire others to follow their example. The GROHE brand also uses milestones from its 20-year commitment to sustainability to illustrate the innovative approaches to making sustainability the core of its business activities and how it views this transformation as an economic opportunity.

>>Watch the short film here.<<

The fact that GROHE makes such effective contributions along the entire value chain and, moreover, allows consumers to live sustainably was also rewarded by the jury of the German Sustainability Award, by honouring the brand in the transformation field “Resources” as well as the water system GROHE Blue in the category “Design”.

“Showing appreciation for our efforts by awarding us one of the most important sustainability prizes in Europe honours us to a high degree. At GROHE, everything revolves around the most valuable and, simultaneously, scarcest resource: water. Acting in a way that saves resources and minimises our ecological footprint therefore has to be a matter of course for us," says Thomas Fuhr.

Behind the scenes of GROHE's sustainability management
Above all, the basis of all commitments in the field of sustainability is the courage to break new ground. Fundamental changes, such as those initiated by GROHE over the last 20 years, imply the necessity to take up challenges. This can only be done together: GROHE implements sustainability in all areas. It all starts with product development, which combines an ecological approach with enjoyment through technologies such as EcoJoy: Water consumption is reduced by up to half while the level of comfort remains the same. The development center at the Hemer site with its 160 employees continuously researches and develops new innovations and approaches in order to create even more environmentally-friendly products and solutions in the future. This enables consumers to make their everyday life more sustainable as easily as possible. However, the focus is not only on the use of water- and energy-saving products – their manufacture is also constantly optimised from a sustainability perspective. Since April 2020, GROHE has been one of the first leading manufacturers in the sanitary industry to produce CO2-neutral products. With recycling rates of more than 90 percent, the brand is approaching a circular economy. Initiatives such as “Less Plastic” particularly contribute to the conservation of resources and an avoidance of waste. As many as 23.5 million plastic packaging materials have already been saved as part of this initiative – a first milestone on the way to the goal of ultimately banning all plastic materials from product packaging by March 2021. The fight against the global problem of plastic waste is complemented by GROHE Blue. The water system, the winner the German Sustainability Award Design 2021 in the category “Icons”, offers chilled, filtered and, if desired, carbonated water straight from the kitchen tap – making plastic bottles redundant.

“Even though we have achieved a great deal in recent years, we are aware that we must continue to strengthen our commitment in order to shape the future of water in a sustainable manner. For us, sustainability is a continuous journey that we must continue with courage. I am proud that we are doing this as a team and that each individual at GROHE is making their contribution. Only like this can we pave the way to a sustainable economy, meet global challenges and improve people's quality of life,” said Jonas Brennwald, Leader LIXIL EMENA.

+++ Dive into GROHE’s sustainability history and find out here which key milestones and initiatives over the years have led to the recent successes. +++