Hansgrohe Group: New Plastic-Free Product Packaging by End of 2025

Hansgrohe reaches the next milestone in its green transformation by switching to paper

Schiltach, May 2024. Hansgrohe Group is switching all new product packaging* in Germany to paper by the end of 2025. The cardboard and paper elements used for this can be completely recycled after use.

On the way to "100% plastic-free"

The Green Company team at Hansgrohe, the innovative thinking cell of the Hansgrohe sustainability strategy, is responsible for the switch from plastic to paper. Project manager Torsten Mayer: "It is our own motivation to apply the sustainability triad of Reduce, Reuse & Recycle to our product packaging. At the same time, more and more of our B2B and B2C customers are actively demanding this." Thanks to the paper campaign, Hansgrohe will save around 312 tons of plastic packaging in the German plants every year, especially in the area of scratch and impact protection, i.e. the elements that protect the mixers and showers in the boxes from scratches and transport damage. Instead of flat bags, bubble wrap, chain bags, adhesive films and cable ties, substitutes made of cardboard or paper are used for product packaging.

"We are currently still working on achieving a quota of 100% paper. That's why we are being completely transparent: as things stand today, we are still a few percent short of reaching our target in full," says Mayer. "The reason for this is that although we now have paper alternatives for almost all product and surface variants as well as side packs, these have not yet been fully implemented in the production process. In addition, as things stand, there are still some indispensable plastic components in packaging that cannot currently be replaced by paper due to their properties - only by recycled plastic. "

Less plastic packaging means less microplastics in the sea

In Germany alone, the largest proportion of all plastic waste comes from sales packaging - a total of around 1.5 million tons per year** . Less plastic in packaging reduces the risk of plastic being disposed of improperly, ultimately polluting waterways as microplastics and making humans and animals ill. Every piece of plastic in nature is one too many. This is illustrated by the example of a plastic bottle: it takes up to 450 years for it to completely decompose in the sea.***

At the same time as doing away with plastic, Hansgrohe is reducing the number of packaging sizes and variants in its product boxes. This is because fewer and more space-saving product packaging optimizes transport and warehouse logistics.

Why paper instead of plastic?

Paper is an excellent recycling material, as paper fibers can be recycled ten to 25 times**** . And because the paper recycling cycle works very well throughout Europe with a recycling rate of 95.4 percent***** , paper will be the packaging material of choice for Hansgrohe in the future. Plastic waste recycling cycles in Europe, on the other hand, are not yet optimally organized. A large proportion of the plastic waste generated in Europe is not recycled, but is still shipped to third countries with an unclear destination. The fact that plastic waste is often dumped illegally in the sea is proven by numerous examples that have become public.******

Hansgrohe is committed to less plastic in the world

Hansgrohe has been sponsoring the floating professor Andreas Fath for years. The chemist has made it his goal to raise public awareness of the vast quantities of microplastics that end up in the world's oceans and even in the Arctic via rivers. To this end, Fath has already swum the Rhine and Danube. His new project starts this year: in summer 2024, he will swim across the Elbe from its source to its mouth in the North Sea. He will be accompanied on his journey by various water samples, students from his faculty - and, of course, Hansgrohe.

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 123-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 35 subsidiaries and 21 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 eight wholly-owned production facilities: four in Germany, one each in France, in Serbia, the United States and China. In 2023, the Hansgrohe Group generated a turnover of EUR 1.406 billion. It employs around 5,400 people worldwide, about 60 percent of whom work in Germany.

* However, due to stock levels in retail/trade, product packaging with plastic packaging materials may still be in circulation.

** https://de.statista.com/themen/4645/plastikmuell/#topicOverview

*** https://de.statista.com/infografik/17508/haltbarkeit-von-plastikmuell-im-meer/

****https://www.papierfakten.de/papierfakten/papier-und-recycling

*****https://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/ressourcen-abfall/verwertung-entsorgung-ausgewaehlter-abfallarten/altpapier#vom-papier-zum-altpapier

******https://www.dw.com/de/wieso-deutscher-m%C3%BCll-eben-doch-im-meer-landet/a-47198039