The Hansgrohe Group is one of the 50 Most Sustainable Medium-Sized Companies in Germany

Schiltach, July 2023. The Hansgrohe Group is one of the 50 most sustainable medium-sized companies in Germany. This is the result of the study "Most Sustainable SMEs 2023", which was conducted by the management consultancy Munich Strategy on behalf of the German business magazine "WirtschaftsWoche". Hans Jürgen Kalmbach, Chairman of the Executive Board of Hansgrohe SE, is delighted with the award: "Our excellent ranking as the only company in the sanitary industry in the top 50 reinforces our commitment to people and the environment. We will continue to consistently implement our sustainability strategy, which targets the major problems of the present and the future: climate change, water crisis, resource scarcity, biodiversity and social justice."

More than 4,000 German companies with annual sales of between €10 million and around €1 billion were surveyed by management consultants Munich Strategy on behalf of WirtschaftsWoche. The 50 most sustainable SMEs were selected from 400 finalists that stand out for their visible commitment to ESG goals and are considered ESG pioneers by industry experts. ESG stands for 'Environmental, Social, Governance'. The basis for the final selection is a 'Sustainability Score', which takes into account the areas of environmental, social and corporate governance and is made up of three groups of criteria: ESG perception (external perception and balance of ESG commitment), ESG documentation (meaningfulness of reporting with binding targets) and ESG implementation (realization of savings and special ESG performance).

A key finding of the study, published at the end of June, is that the top 50 are increasingly addressing the topics of ecology, social affairs and corporate governance comprehensively in their reporting and are increasingly addressing their commitment to social justice, employee health and safety and compliance with anti-discrimination guidelines in their documentation. "The days when sustainability was primarily about emissions are over," explains Barbara Siegert, study director and partner at Munich Strategy. "Positioning yourself as a responsible employer is becoming an increasingly important differentiating factor in times of a glaring shortage of skilled workers." According to the study author, many of the 50 ESG pioneers report that their employees identify more strongly with the company and work with greater commitment than is usual in their industry, especially in times of crisis.

Responsible and Future-Oriented

"We are aware that our employees around the world ensure the success of our company with their commitment and know-how," says Hans Jürgen Kalmbach. As an employer, the Hansgrohe Group takes responsibility for each and every one of them. "For us, a good working environment includes more than just occupational safety and health protection. It takes more than that to enjoy going to work every day and to feel good. It takes good teamwork. In line with our values, we are committed to living together based on solidarity, tolerance and diversity." At the same time, the Hansgrohe Group sees itself as a part of society. It is therefore a matter of fact for the company to take responsibility for people outside Hansgrohe as well. "We try to live up to this responsibility in a wide variety of ways," explains the CEO. "As a future-oriented company, we also think ahead when it comes to sustainability." Together with the Stuttgart-based design and innovation studio PHOENIX, the Black Forest bathroom and kitchen specialist has developed a concept of a bathroom that is in harmony with people and nature: "Hansgrohe's Green Vision Beyond Water: Rethinking Bathroom Culture." With a 90% reduction in water and energy consumption, and therefore also 90% less CO2 emissions, the Hansgrohe Group implemented its "green vision" in this concept study. "Individual elements of the study are already being used in our innovations, and we will continue to develop others and incorporate them into our technologies and products. The important thing for us is to use this to create greater awareness of our approach to water throughout the bathroom," says the CEO.

The results of the ranking were published on June 23, 2023 in WirtschaftsWoche (issue 25/2023). 

About the Hansgrohe Group – Setting the Beat of Water. Since 1901.

With its brands AXOR and hansgrohe, the Hansgrohe Group, based in Schiltach/Southern Germany, enjoys a reputation as a leader in innovation, design and quality within the bath and kitchen industry. Founded in 1901 in the Black Forest, the company gives water form and function with its faucets, showerheads and shower systems. In combination with sanitary ceramics and bathroom furniture, the company offers individual design options from a single source for holistic bathroom experiences. The 122-year history of the company is marked by innovations, such as the first hand-held shower with multiple spray types, the first pull-out kitchen faucet, and the first wall bar to hold a hand-held shower.The company holds more than 20,000 active property rights. The Hansgrohe Group stands for long-lasting quality products and for responsibility towards people and the environment. Sustainable production of resource-conserving products is central to the company’s business activities around the globe. By developing innovative technologies for faucets and showers, Hansgrohe achieves the greatest possible effect on protecting water as a resource and limiting and adapting to climate change during the usage phase of its products. As part of its consistent sustainability strategy, Hansgrohe is equipping all water-bearing products exclusively with water-saving technologies by 2030 within its "ECO 2030" initiative. With 33 subsidiaries and 21 sales offices supplying products in more than 150 countries, the globally active company in the sanitary industry is a reliable partner to its customers in all regions of the world. The Hansgrohe Group, its brands and products have won numerous awards, including more than 700 design prizes since 1974. The products of the Hansgrohe Group are found around the world: on renowned cruise ships, in luxurious 5-star and boutique hotels, in international metropolitan cities, in extraordinary spas, exclusive bathrooms of lodges and luxury villas, public facilities, as well as in countless private homes. The Hansgrohe Group’s high quality standards are ensured by eight wholly-owned production facilities: four in Germany, one each in France, in Serbia, the United States and China. In 2022, the Hansgrohe Group generated a turnover of EUR 1.528 billion. It employs around 5,600 people worldwide, about 60 percent of whom work in Germany.