Maximum efficiency, minimum wastage – sustainable product design and development at GROHE
Product evaluation takes place at regular intervals during the design and development of a new range.
A Life Cycle Assessment study at GROHE revealed that at least 70-80% of the environmental impact of a faucet occurs during its use. Research and Development at GROHE considers the entire life cycle of a product – from the materials used, product usage and finally recycle and disposal. Our products are designed for a long service life and to use materials, water and energy as efficiently as possible.
Design and the environment
Product design and development is a controlled process, which follows the ISO: 14001 Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. From the outset, a materials assessment measures various environmental impacts. Using Eco-indicator 99, it shows the final result as a single score – enabling us to identify potential improvements and also to compare like with like. This is monitored closely during all stages of product development.
After the first prototype is made, material usage is reviewed again to ensure resource consumption is kept to a minimum. Small design modifications at this stage can lead to a significant reduction in the quantities of materials used and waste produced during manufacture, without compromising the function or aesthetic of a product.
Encouraging consumer responsibility
Products such as our thermostatic shower mixers and Rainshower® Icon, Eco and Solo hand showers actively encourage consumers to use water more efficiently. The inclusion of an EcoButton facilitates effortless water saving – up to 40% for hand showers and up to 50% for shower thermostats.
We continue to expand our range of EcoJoy™ faucets and shower heads with built-in flow restrictors, which are engineered to use less water, while delivering the same perfect flow.
For WCs, our dual-flush actuation plates and compatible cisterns and flushing valves let the user choose how much water to use each time they flush.
The introduction of the GROHE Blue® water filter faucet, encourages consumers to switch to filtered tap water, rather than waste resources and increase landfill by consuming bottled mineral waters.
Investing in innovative research projects
As a leading global manufacturer of sanitary fittings, we regard it as our duty to invest in environmental and resource conservation research projects. The PowerFluid project brings together five companies to research into self-powered automatic faucets and flush mechanisms.
By harnessing the energy generated by running water, the objective is to create automatic fittings that will no longer need a mains connection or battery to supply power. 15 prototypes were manufactured last year and are currently undergoing extensive life testing.
A Life Cycle Assessment study at GROHE revealed that at least 70-80% of the environmental impact of a faucet occurs during its use. Research and Development at GROHE considers the entire life cycle of a product – from the materials used, product usage and finally recycle and disposal. Our products are designed for a long service life and to use materials, water and energy as efficiently as possible.
Design and the environment
Product design and development is a controlled process, which follows the ISO: 14001 Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. From the outset, a materials assessment measures various environmental impacts. Using Eco-indicator 99, it shows the final result as a single score – enabling us to identify potential improvements and also to compare like with like. This is monitored closely during all stages of product development.
After the first prototype is made, material usage is reviewed again to ensure resource consumption is kept to a minimum. Small design modifications at this stage can lead to a significant reduction in the quantities of materials used and waste produced during manufacture, without compromising the function or aesthetic of a product.
Encouraging consumer responsibility
Products such as our thermostatic shower mixers and Rainshower® Icon, Eco and Solo hand showers actively encourage consumers to use water more efficiently. The inclusion of an EcoButton facilitates effortless water saving – up to 40% for hand showers and up to 50% for shower thermostats.
We continue to expand our range of EcoJoy™ faucets and shower heads with built-in flow restrictors, which are engineered to use less water, while delivering the same perfect flow.
For WCs, our dual-flush actuation plates and compatible cisterns and flushing valves let the user choose how much water to use each time they flush.
The introduction of the GROHE Blue® water filter faucet, encourages consumers to switch to filtered tap water, rather than waste resources and increase landfill by consuming bottled mineral waters.
Investing in innovative research projects
As a leading global manufacturer of sanitary fittings, we regard it as our duty to invest in environmental and resource conservation research projects. The PowerFluid project brings together five companies to research into self-powered automatic faucets and flush mechanisms.
By harnessing the energy generated by running water, the objective is to create automatic fittings that will no longer need a mains connection or battery to supply power. 15 prototypes were manufactured last year and are currently undergoing extensive life testing.