Manufacturer of water fittings is one of Germany’s most sustainable companies
Demonstrating its commitment to sustainability at the highest level, Grohe AG, a world-leading supplier of sanitary fittings, has been nominated for the renowned German Sustainability Award for the second year in a row. Last year Grohe AG was singled out as one of the top three companies in the “resource efficiency” category. This year the company is one of four nominees in the “Germany’s most sustainable major companies” category. In past years this award has been garnered by such companies as BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte, Alnatura and Miele & Cie. KG.
A role model in terms of sustainability
Grohe AG views this renewed nomination as a welcome vindication of its consistent efforts in this area and as a major step forward at the same time. “Being recognised by the jurors as one of Germany’s most sustainable companies shows us that GROHE has taken the right decisions and that our commitment is paying off in every respect,” says Grohe AG CEO Michael Rauterkus. “Following on from our nomination for the special award in 2014, we are now nominated in the most prestigious category. We have worked hard to further enhance our company’s sustainability profile and live up to our responsibility for the environment and, in particular, its natural resources. We want to be a role model for sustainable development in our industry. The mere fact of having been nominated gives me great pride in our employees and their achievements. The only thing that could make me even happier is GROHE actually winning the 2015 German Sustainability award.”
Sustainable all down the line
Being an integral element of corporate culture at GROHE, sustainability is deeply embedded in its structures and processes. At GROHE, sustainability determines the entire product life cycle from product development to manufacturing and logistics to use and disposal. The company defined all relevant fields of action in its GROHE SustainAbility Policy already a number of years ago and continues to review its strategies and results for potential improvements on an ongoing basis.
Notable achievements on the product side include the range of products using GROHE EcoJoy® technology for water savings of up to 50 percent. In creating such products, GROHE goes to great lengths to ensure that users can save water and energy intuitively without having to compromise on comfort and convenience. Another highlight is the GROHE Blue® water system, which not only gives consumers a convenient source of chilled and filtered table water with different levels of carbonation but also helps them shrink their carbon footprint compared to households using bottled water. This way GROHE supports consumers’ own efforts to adopt more sustainable lifestyles.
Award presentations in November
The final decisions on the winners of the 2015 German Sustainability Award will be taken in the coming weeks. A jury chaired by Professor Günther Bachmann, general secretary of the Council for Sustainable Development, will pick the winners across a total of eight categories, singling out exemplary sustainability achievements in trade and industry, local government and research. The awards are given by the German Sustainability Award Foundation (Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis e.V.) in conjunction with the federal government, several umbrella organisations of local governments, business and trade associations, NGOs and research institutions. The awards ceremony for the 8th German Sustainability Awards will take place at the Maritim Hotel in Düsseldorf, Germany, on 27 November this year.
