Comprehensive action plan against water crisis

Schiltach, March 31, 2023. The first UN Water Summit in almost 50 years came to an end last Friday in New York. The Hansgrohe Group, a leading company in the sanitation industry committed to protecting water as a resource, was also part of it. Hans Jürgen Kalmbach, Chairman of the Executive Board, together with Malisa Wittig, Key Account Manager Architects & Designers Hansgrohe USA, Steffen Erath, Hansgrohe Head of Innovation & Sustainability, Robert Neff, Enterprise Product Compliance and Regulatory Manager Masco Corporation, and Hansgrohe water ambassador Professor Andreas Fath, traveled to the United Nations headquarters from March 22 to 24. There, the Black Forest bathroom and kitchen specialist's efforts were presented at an event hosted by water technology company Xylem from the US and the Netherlands. Along with 17 other companies, Hansgrohe is committing to invest in innovative water solutions over the next five years. The funds will go toward water-related research and development, startups commercializing innovative approaches to water management, and the introduction of new water technologies. The goal is to make progress on UN Sustainable Development Goal 6, "Water and Sanitation", because more than 2.2 billion people on Earth do not have safe access to clean drinking water.

Innovations to conserve water resources

At an online event during the UN 2023 Water Conference in the UN headquarters in New York Hans Jürgen Kalmbach and Steffen Erath presented Hansgrohe's commitment, in particular the concept of "Hansgrohe's Green Vision Beyond Water: Rethinking Bathroom Culture", a vision of arguably the most sustainable bathroom in the world, as well as the "ECO 2030" initiative. As part of its consistent sustainability strategy, Hansgrohe's ambition is to equip all water-bearing products with water and energy-saving technologies by 2030. "We are convinced that innovations in the bathroom make a significant contribution to reducing water consumption, improving water quality and solving the water crisis," says Hans Jürgen Kalmbach. "We need to motivate business, politics and society to commit to the responsible use of water. I am confident that we can make significant progress through collaboration and innovation." WaterAction Agenda for a Water-Secure Future UN Secretary-General António Guterres underscored the importance of water: "This conference demonstrated a central truth: As the most precious global common good, water unites us all." The commitments made at the Water Summit would propel humanity towards a water-secure future, Guterres noted at the closing ceremony. And the outcome of the UN 2023 Water Conference is indeed impressive: Participants launched an action plan, the WaterAction Agenda, with 689 voluntary commitments from all the world's countries to tackle the water crisis from regional renaturation measures to large-scale transboundary projects. The estimated total value is about $750 billion, according to UN figures. "We support the WaterAction Agenda because, as one of the innovation leaders in our industry, we can and want to make a valuable contribution to protecting water as a precious resource. We are already doing this in many ways, both in a business sense and to meet our social responsibility," says Hans Jürgen Kalmbach.

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 20 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 seven wholly-owned production facilities: four in Germany, one each in France, 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.