Bye, bye plastic

GROHE’s less plastic initiative tackling the plastic crisis

With water at the core of its business, it is a matter of course for GROHE to protect the precious resource and commit to providing clean water worldwide. For this reason, GROHE started the Less Plastic Initiative in 2018 to address the global plastic waste problem. With a three-step approach, GROHE aims to tackle the plastic waste problem from different angles.

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Aiming for the better: Plastic-reduced packaging

GROHE set itself the target of switching to completely plastic-free packaging in 2018. This has proven to be a continuous journey due to packaging options currently available, as well as the setup of current recycling mechanisms. Nevertheless, GROHE was able to reach a major milestone in spring 2022. By establishing a plastic-reduced packaging for its products, the brand could eliminate all unnecessary plastic from its packaging.

• 37 million plastic items can be saved per year thanks to the elimination of all unnecessary plastic from GROHE’s product packaging.

• 26 tons of poly bags per year are saved by using a product part of the GROHE Rapid installation system as packaging for other product parts.

• New innovations: Instead of expanding polystyrene or wrapping film solution, new options such as moulded pulp inserts are used.

Committing to continuous improvement and reflection, GROHE focuses on taking concrete action, using the solutions currently available and constantly working on better ones.

Marine plastic pollution alone has increased tenfold since 1980

Eliminating plastic bottles – sip by sip

Enabling customers to prevent plastic bottle waste in their everyday lives: The GROHE Blue water system offers still, medium and sparkling water directly from the kitchen faucet – filtered and chilled to the preferred drinking temperature.

• 800 single-use plastic bottles can be saved by a family of four per year thanks to GROHE Blue.*

• Ultimate convenience and comfort: Thanks to the water system, running out of water and last-minute supermarket trips become unnecessary. Saving not only plastic, but also time, water** and CO2***.

• Aiming for a world without waste: The GROHE Blue filters of our supplier BWT are Cradle to Cradle Certified® at the Bronze level. GROHE collects the used filters and passes them on to BWT, where 99% of materials are recycled.

GROHE Blue Home: Sustainable water consumption at the touch of a button

GROHE & everwave: Collaboration that drives transformation

GROHE has been supporting everwave, a German social business operating across EMENA which has set itself the goal of protecting the oceans from plastic waste. The interdisciplinary team consists of scientists, engineers and marine biologists developing active and passive clean-up technologies for rivers, such as the everwave CollectiX boat, to collect waste before it pollutes the oceans. 

However, the collaboration goes far beyond financial support: GROHE and everwave draw public attention in order to educate people about the plastic problem and thus raise awareness for a more sustainable way of life. For example, Marcella Hansch took part in our first GROHE Kitchen Day.

But in addition GROHE’s customers are actively incorporated into the partnership: In the context of the “Made for Your Water” campaign, they were given the chance to make a direct contribution towards a cleaner environment while eliminating single-use plastic bottles from their everyday life when buying a GROHE Blue water system. For every GROHE Blue purchased from 1st August to 31st December 2021, GROHE and everwave collected 1 kilo of waste from the Bocac Reservoir in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the help of the everwave CollectiX boat. The clean-up took place mid of February and removed 30 tons of waste from the lake in total.

Bosnia
People, Places & Events: Together for a plastic-free future
Everwave in Italy
People, Places & Events: Innovation to tackle the plastic crisis
* Environmental Action Germany (DUH) https://www.duh.de/mehrweg-klimaschutz0/einweg-plastikflaschen/
** The real water consumption behind drinking water: The case of Italy”, Journal of Environmental Management 92 (2011) 
*** Product Carbon Footprint for drinking water supply through a Grohe Blue faucet system compared to mineral water”, Tim Schroeder, Prof. Dr. Jutta Geldermann, Georg-August University of Göttingen (2014)

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