Hansgrohe Takes Responsibility for the Environment

Climate Change has been an Issue at Hansgrohe for more than 30 Years

Sustainable thinking and action are deeply rooted in the Hansgrohe Group. As early as the 1980s, long before "sustainability" was on everyone's mind, Klaus Grohe made environmentally conscious thinking and action the maxim of our company. As early as 1990, he said:

"Climate change is not a distant future after all, it is a reality. The whole of society must contribute to reducing CO₂e emissions. We are setting the course today for the day after tomorrow."

Global Challenges in Sight

While the environmental movement has long said that it is "5 minutes to 12", we as a society have long known that it is more than "5 minutes past 12". At Hansgrohe, we therefore no longer just consider our own sphere of influence in terms of environmental protection when making all our corporate decisions, but also the global challenges. These include:

• the scarcity of water, which is also exacerbated by the use of fresh water by private households (11 percent).
• CO₂e emissions to which private households in Germany also contribute close to 11 percent, and
• the scarcity of resources, which means that in just a few years important raw materials - including those for our faucets and showerheads - will become bottleneck goods.

Water, Climate, Circulation: The Hansgrohe Group Takes Action

Climate change is in full swing. At Hansgrohe, we are taking account of the drastic developments: we are assuming responsibility for the environment with our sustainability strategy. It encompasses the step-by-step transformation of our company. "This process is costly and requires numerous efforts. But compensating for climate damage would probably cost us more," says Steffen Erath, Head of Innovation & Sustainbility at Hansgrohe.

The agenda that moves us forward as a company in environmental protection is based on three fields of action: Water, Climate, Circulation.

Hansgrohe Conserves Water Cycles

Safe fresh water is a valuable resource that is unequally distributed. In regions where water is scarce, it is vital to use it sparingly. But even in water- rich regions, there is a constant need to invest in its treatment. Hansgrohe conserves water cycles by ensuring that our products save water while maintaining the same showering experience.

Hansgrohe Protects the Climate

Hansgrohe Group products become environmentally friendly, supporting the Paris and Glasgow goals. The consumption of hot water costs a lot of energy. Saving water with Hansgrohe products therefore also means reducing the energy consumption of sanitary facilities and protecting the climate.

Hansgrohe Becomes Part of the Circular Economy

Every resource that no longer needs to be extracted but can be recycled conserves our ecosystems and saves energy and water in production processes. Hansgrohe develops durable, repairable and recyclable products, sustainable packaging and works to use materials that preserve our ecosystems as much as possible.

Corporate Environmental Protection Concerns Everyone: Hansgrohe Employees in Action 

Corporate environmental protection requires active participation. It is a continuous process that relies on the commitment and ideas of many. The Green Company Team can rely on a large number of supporters, because all employees at Hansgrohe are committed to our sustainability goals. They constantly provide new ideas on how we can do good things for the environment within the company.

In addition, an Operational Sustainability Board, headed by the Executive Board member responsible for Operations, Frank Semling, works actively across all production sites to identify and monitor sustainability potential in the areas of purchasing, production and logistics.

By joining forces, we are thus continuously increasing raw material and energy efficiency, reducing waste and harmful effects on the environment.

And our commitment to the environment does not stop at the factory gates: many of our employees take responsibility for the environment and participate in campaigns for environmental protection, such as the Kinzig CleanUp or the maintenance of the bark in the Black Forest National Park.

Worth the Effort: Milestones in Climate and Environmental Protection at Hansgrohe

The tireless efforts of the entire Hansgrohe workforce are paying off. Bit by bit, we are doing our part to protect the climate and the environment. For example, we reached a special milestone in 2021: All German sites are climate neutral*.

Climate Neutral – Nationally and Internationally

In 2022, we additionally switched our international production sites to green electricity. The electrical energy supply is based entirely on green power. This enables annual savings of over 26,000 tons of CO₂e.

At the German production plants, in Wasselonne, France, and in Shanghai, China, supplementary energy efficiency analyses have identified further potential. For example, with

• combined heat and power plants and photovoltaics,
• peak load and solar irradiation planning

can save even more electricity. In Shanghai, the heating system for the electroplating baths is already based on heat pump technology.

All international production plants have also set their own sustainability targets for water, waste and energy. The result of these efforts: Since 2022, all Hansgrohe Group sites worldwide have been climate neutral*.

We provide information about other current achievements on our way to becoming a sustainable company on the "News and Events" page.

* Climate neutrality refers to greenhouse gas emissions from Scope 1 and 2 (direct emissions and energy consumed at the sites) according to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. Wherever possible, the Hansgrohe Group actively reduces these emissions. The remaining emissions are offset through recognized, certified climate protection projects.