Managing Director for South Africa and hansgrohe’s Head of Sales for Global Projects in Germany, David Cooper discusses sustainability, style and things to come.
“Water is a resource that should be protected, this is a philosophy that continues to drive hansgrohe. Responsible manufacturing and sustainability are always top-of-mind for us”, says David.
hansgrohe is leading the charge towards a future where we use products that lower our impact on our precious liquid resource, without compromising on style or comfort. The company holds innovation in high regard, with approximately 27% of their turnover coming from products that have only been invented in the last three years.
“hansgrohe invests a large percentage of annual turnover into research and development. We believe that design and innovation should not be at the expense of sustainability”, David adds. He continues, “We are very proud of the awards the company has won – both for design and sustainability, and while I can’t reveal too much just yet, there are even bigger things to come.
“It’s going to be a massive year at ISH (the world’s leading trade fair, in our industry) for hansgrohe. ISH is the stage we use to launch the latest innovation from the company.
“Sustainability goes a bit further than just product for us, though. hansgrohe also maintains eco-friendly manufacturing processes and, wherever possible, our packaging is eco-friendly, too. On a more personal level, we try to inspire a culture internally that makes our team members eco-conscious at home.
“As we enter the winter months and water levels drop nationwide, it’s more important than ever to be mindful as a nation about using water responsibly. And we really hope that hansgrohe can serve as an example as far as that is concerned – both internally and externally.
“From a product point-of-view, we already have innovations out that are serious about saving water – like the EcoSmart range. The CoolStart taps save energy by using only cold water initially, so the geyser is not fired up and your pipes are not filled with hot water unnecessarily.
“It’s technology like this that all homes and businesses should be looking at, to be more responsible in a country that has been massively affected by an energy and water crisis. In this regard, hansgrohe takes sustainability to a new level by ‘reinventing’ the internal workings of their products.
“Being eco-friendly does not mean being at the expense of product performance. The EcoSmart shower range, for example, mixes air with water, so that even though there is less water being used, the flow and comfort is not affected by making the droplets bigger.
“Being eco-friendly also doesn’t necessarily cost more than using products that are not as eco-friendly either. So, the question really is, ‘Why isn’t everyone doing it?’. You can cut your energy usage drastically and drop your water usage by up to 60% over a year; so in the long-term, sustainability just makes sense and costs less.”
David concludes, “At hansgrohe, ’sustainable’ is not just a buzzword. It is the fibre of what drives the company’s thinking. I’m very proud to be associated with a company that is leading by example, and fostering a culture of true responsibility in a world that needs that kind of thinking more than ever.
“Perhaps in years to come, the word ‘sustainable’ will come to mean more to all South Africans, as we face the water and energy crisis head-on as only we can – in the true spirit of collaboration”.
hansgrohe continues to scoop up awards for design and innovation. On 26 May, the company won two Gold German Innovation Awards for the innovative hansgrohe RainTunes shower and the hansgrohe Aquone Select M81 kitchen mixer. Other recent awards include the Iconic Best of Best awards for Rainfinity and AXOR MyEdition, and the iF Gold Award for Rainfinity.
Watch this space for more innovation to come.
hansgrohe – Sustainable by Design!
About the Hansgrohe Group
With its brands AXOR and hansgrohe, the Hansgrohe Group, based in Schiltach/Southern Germany, enjoys a reputation as a leader in quality, innovation and design within the bath and kitchen industry. The Hansgrohe Group brings form and function to water with taps, showerheads and shower systems. The 116-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 tap, and the first wall bar to hold a hand-held shower. The company holds more than 17,000 active propriety rights. The Hansgrohe Group stands for long-lasting quality products. With 34 subsidiaries and 21 sales offices supplying products in more than 140 countries, the company is a reliable partner to its customers around the world. The Hansgrohe Group, its brands and products have won numerous awards, including more than 500 design prizes since 1974. Sustainable production of resource-conserving products is central to the company’s business activities around the globe. The products of the Hansgrohe Group are featured in projects around the world, such as the luxurious ocean liner Queen Mary 2, and the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The Group’s high-quality standards are ensured by five wholly-owned production facilities: two in Germany, one each in France, the United States and China. In 2016, the Hansgrohe Group generated a turnover of EUR 1.029 billion. It employs more than 4,800 people worldwide, about 60 percent of whom work in Germany.
iF Design Leader in the Bathroom Industry
In the current 2019 ranking of the International Forum Design (iF) of the best companies in the world of design, the Hansgrohe Group, with its brands AXOR and hansgrohe , ranks in the TOP 10* among 4,215 listed companies.
The Black Forest based showers and fixtures specialist outperforms famous brands such as Apple, Audi or Daimler and reconfirms the company’s leading position * in the bathroom industry.
At the iF DESIGN AWARDS 2019 eight AXOR and Hansgrohe branded products received an iF DESIGN AWARD 2019
For further information on our design awards, please visit www.hansgrohe-group.com/en/about/claim/design/awards.
*www.ifworlddesignguide.com
