hansgrohe Celebrates Final Stage of the Pure Elbe Project
Schiltach/Hamburg, September 2024. The successful completion of the “Pure Elbe” project, in which the renowned water ambassador and scientist Prof. Dr. Andreas Fath swam the entire 1,000 kilometers of the Elbe River in Germany, was celebrated last Saturday in Hamburg. The aim of this extraordinary event was to draw attention to the importance of clean water and the challenges of water protection. Clean water is one of the most valuable resources in the world and is also the focus of hansgrohe's activities. As an international premium brand for high-quality bathroom solutions, hansgrohe is committed to the protection and sustainable use of this resource and participated in the “Pure Elbe” project as the main sponsor.
Hans-Jürgen Kalmbach, CEO of the Hansgrohe Group, emphasized the importance of this commitment during the panel discussion at the event for the final swimming stage in Hamburg: “Andreas and I share a common passion - we are ambassadors for water. The project has shown how important it is to join forces across company and industry boundaries. We can only protect water as a resource for future generations if we talk about it every day and commit to it as a society.”
At the event in Hamburg, around 100 water enthusiasts listened to the symposium “The value of clean water”. Frank Schweikert, Chairman of the German Ocean Foundation, and Viva Con Aqua co-founder Micha Fritz were also present.
Andreas Fath's swim across the Elbe impressively shows how the condition of the river has improved in recent decades. “20 or 30 years ago, I wouldn't have been able to swim in the Elbe - that's what many Elbe residents told me on my trip. I would probably have burned my arms and legs,” Fath reported during the panel discussion. Thanks to the European Water Framework Directive, German watercourses, including the Elbe, have recovered significantly during this time.
During past swimming projects in the Danube and Rhine, Fath and his team discovered alarming trace substances, such as antibiotics and multi-resistant germs in their investigations, which enter the rivers via sewage treatment plants and overflows from retention basins. “We have to start where the pollutants are discharged into the water: for example, in the pharmaceutical industry or the food industry, which manufactures products with non-degradable sweeteners,” demands Andreas Fath.
Mission Clean Water
During his 1,000-kilometer swim, Andreas Fath completed around half a million strokes - an impressive achievement that illustrates the strength of his personal commitment to clean water. In the years to come, Fath hopes for an even more sustainable approach to our waters: “In ten years' time, I will no longer be swimming but paddling on the Elbe in a kayak. When I get out of the water, I don't want to see any more packaging, cigarette butts or plastic on the banks.”
The premium brand hansgrohe has also set itself long-term goals. “We can be proud that our mission and our measures have had a real impact on clean water for future generations,” concludes Hans-Jürgen Kalmbach. The Hansgrohe Group also has ambitious goals: it wants to equip all its water-bearing products with water and energy-saving technologies by 2030.
hansgrohe supports “Pure Elbe” as part of its sustainability strategy and its commitment to protecting the valuable resource of water. The collaboration with Andreas Fath and other campaigns relating to water protection, such as the Kinzig CleanUp near the company site in the Black Forest, underline the joint commitment to a future with clean water.
About hansgrohe
hansgrohe stands for holistic bathroom experiences that combine water- and energy-saving technologies, intelligent functions and long-lasting quality. With timeless and innovative premium products, the brand supports a sustainable lifestyle and transforms daily water routines into extraordinary experiences. Driven by a unique pioneering spirit, hansgrohe, together with its long-standing partner PHOENIX, creates living environments and product solutions for bathrooms and kitchens that enrich everyday life with more design, comfort and enjoyment. Within the internationally active Hansgrohe Group, the premium brand hansgrohe manufactures, markets and distributes showers, shower systems, bathroom and kitchen faucets, bathroom accessories, furniture, sanitary ceramics and kitchen sinks worldwide under the hansgrohe brand.
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