Environmental protection

In the Black Forest and all over the world

Green offensive at Hansgrohe: whether solar power or waste management, recycling or heat recovery – the Hansgrohe Group takes its responsibility for nature, man and society very seriously. One of the central company goals is to reduce in-house CO₂ emissions by 20% by 2013 (compared with the reference year 2008 and measured against the turnover costs).

But the bathroom specialist from the Black Forest not only assumes an ecological pioneering role at its locations in 37 countries around the globe. Hansgrohe is also committed to environmental protection projects outside its plants.


This is where the future is starting today:

• The Black Forest: Schiltach and Offenburg
• The Black Forest: reintroduction of salmon into the river Kinzig
• Schiltach: Water Symposium - events relating to the precious element of water 
• Masdar City: the Eco City near Abu Dhabi 
• USA: Water Sense Seal of Quality 
• India and Haiti: water management projects

The Black Forest: Schiltach and Offenburg

Hansgrohe SE develops environmentally friendly products, packaging and manufacturing technologies at its sites in Schiltach and Offenburg. The company backs ecological manufacturing methods, the careful treatment of resources and the use of renewable energies. Uncompromising environmental management ensures that the amount of waste is reduced, the energy demand is lowered and the business and production processes are optimised in line with ecological criteria. The waste recycling quota, for example, has reached a level of more than 90%. Punched-out blanks which turn out to be rejects in production are reused in road construction. Even suppliers and partner companies are obliged to follow Hansgrohe’s guiding principles and are not least selected on the basis of their environmental performance. 

“Salmon for the river Kinzig”: site commitment for higher quality of life and improved eco system

Since 2008 Hansgrohe SE has taken part in the campaign “Salmon for the river Kinzig”, initiated by the Society for Migratory Fish of Baden-Württemberg. This society has aimed at the breeding and reintroduction of migratory fish in the Black Forest Kinzig valley. Several stocking campaigns have taken place near the company headquarters in Schiltach, because here the river Kinzig offers the best living conditions for salmon. In 2009 around 150 children released some 4,000 juvenile fish into the river.

And fish have actually returned into the Kinzig system. The campaign will be a success if migratory fish like salmon use the river permanently as their living environment; if they return for spawning and thereby form a self-sustaining population over the next ten to 15 years. The successful stocking campaigns obviously speak for the excellent water quality in front of the Hansgrohe factory gates. After all, these very demanding fish are an excellent indicator of the quality of the eco system.

Take on a salmon sponsorship! For just five euros you can be part of it. Please send us an e-mail and we will let you know the details.

Water Symposium

The Hansgrohe water symposium is a series of events that take place every year in Schiltach. Here Hansgrohe SE, with water experts and researchers from all over the world, addresses the issues relating to water, an element that is both fascinating and very much worth protecting – and all from very different points of view. The motto of the symposium changes every year.

The Masdar City eco city in Abu Dhabi:
a climate protection vision becomes reality

A city, which will in the near future be home to 50,000 inhabitants, is under construction in the middle of a desert landscape near Abu Dhabi. “Masdar City” is the world's first eco city. It will offer all the conveniences of a city, but without emitting any carbon dioxide or generating any waste. In 2009, Hansgrohe delivered the following products for this ecological flagship project: Metris S electronic mixers and Raindance EcoSmart hand showers. These are water and energy saving items offering many benefits from the Black Forest bathroom specialist. Resource conservation is obviously a main focal issue in this Arabic desert project. “Both the project and our company share a clear commitment to sustainability and environmental protection” emphasises Richard Grohe, vice chairman of Hansgrohe SE. Other German companies, such as Siemens and BASF, are also participating in this 22 billion US-dollar project.

WaterSense programme

Hansgrohe North America is a partner of the WaterSense programme of the American Environmental Protection Agency EPA. The programme helps to identify water-saving products. Only high-quality products which truly contribute to climate protection will be awarded with the WaterSense Symbol.

Water management projects

Around 1.2 billion people currently have no access to clean water. Hansgrohe SE sponsors projects aimed at keeping the consequences of this water crisis under control. To date, Hansgrohe has sponsored projects in India and Haiti, among others, which ensure sustainable water management, thus providing a basis of existence for the people affected."

A view into the future

Hansgrohe SE has been awarded the environmental award of the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg, amongst others, several times, for its products and its exemplary commitment to protecting the environment.

Let’s all make a concerted effort to conserve our rare resources and let’s make our ecological footprint on earth smaller!