GROHE has announced it is delighted to be nominated for the first German Sustainability Award Design 2021 for its GROHE Blue water system. A top-class jury of experts will decide on the finalists at the end of September. The winner will be announced at the German Sustainability Award ceremony on December 4th 2020 in Düsseldorf.

For the German Sustainability Award Foundation, design is a central factor for change as sustainable design makes an important contribution to the transformation towards a sustainable society. This new award honours these contributions and provides examples for consumers who are looking for sustainable alternatives.

“I am proud that not only our commitment to sustainability, but also our resource-saving product portfolio is receiving so much recognition,” says Thomas Fuhr, COO Fittings LIXIL International and Co-CEO Grohe AG. “Our GROHE Blue water system makes a major contribution to greater sustainability along the entire value chain and helps consumers lead a more sustainable lifestyle by enabling them to avoid plastic bottles. Along with our Less Plastic Initiative and cooperation with Pacific Garbage Screening, GROHE Blue is thus an important element in our fight against the global plastic waste problem.”

Sustainable water enjoyment with GROHE Blue
The GROHE Blue water system provides chilled, filtered and, if desired, carbonated water straight from the kitchen tap – with a perfect taste. Thanks to this intelligent functionality, GROHE Blue is a resource-saving solution that not only reduces the ecological footprint, but also enables consumers to live more sustainably because it does the following:

● saves water: Up to seven litres of water is needed to produce one litre of bottled water system is therefore fundamentally changing the way water is consumed and promoting change in consumer behavior towards sustainable consumption.

● reduces CO2 emissions: Up to 600g of CO2 are emitted in the production and transport process of one litre of bottled mineral water.2 By using the water source in your own kitchen, CO2 emissions are reduced by up to 61% per year and you also save the trip to the supermarket.

● eliminates the need for plastic bottles: According to Deutsche Umwelthilfe
(Environmental Action Germany), a family of four uses 800 single-use plastic bottles per year. Thanks to GROHE Blue, these bottles are no longer necessary.

● offers intergenerational convenience: In view of changing demographics and an increasingly ageing society, GROHE Blue’s intuitive operation is another plus. The preferred type of water can be selected simply by touching a button which, by means of a colour LED display with icons, is easily understood by every age group. Other challenges for older people and those with limited mobility are also eliminated as GROHE Blue makes drinking water available at all times, eliminating the need to go to the supermarket and carry heavy water bottles.

1 Water Footprint Network (2013).
2 Carbon Footprint analysis by the Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany (2013); data refer to GROHE Blue Home.

GROHE’s fight against plastic waste
According to GROHE the company is not only tackling the plastic waste problem at product level. In 2018, the brand launched the Less Plastic Initiative with the aim of replacing plastic packaging for its products with more sustainable alternatives. To date, this has resulted in savings of around 15 million items of product packaging made of plastic and, by 2021, this figure is set to increase significantly to up to 35 million. The goal of reducing plastic waste is also strengthened by the brand’s collaboration with Marcella Hansch, the founder of Pacific Garbage Screening e.V.

Both partners are united by their vision of clean water through the reduction of plastic waste in oceans and rivers. The trained architect is developing a water platform that collects plastic waste in rivers before it is washed into the oceans. GROHE does not only support this project financially but also by raising public awareness of the plastic problem and promoting a more sustainable lifestyle.