Commitment to sustainability now demonstrated with even greater
transparency
GROHE is the first manufacturer in the sanitary industry to issue a
declaration of conformity with the German Sustainability Code
Protecting the environment, preserving natural resources and
exercising social responsibility have long been important elements
of corporate strategy at GROHE, the leading manufacturer of
sanitary fittings. Now the company has created comprehensive
transparency of its commitment and efforts in these areas by being
the first in the industry to submit a declaration of conformity
with the German Sustainability Code to the German Council for
Sustainable Development. In early September GROHE received
confirmation of its declaration having been accepted without
qualification.
Comprising the core sections “Strategy”, “Process Management”,
“Environment” and “Society”, the declaration provides detailed
information on the sanitary manufacturer’s multi-faceted
sustainable activities - ranging from environmentally friendly
technologies at its factories to water and energy saving products,
from health and safety projects at the workplace to training
programmes for young people in Germany and abroad.
The declaration of conformity is based on the Sustainability Report
to be published by GROHE for the first time in the fourth quarter
of 2015. It follows the fourth (i.e. the current) guidelines of the
Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), an NGO which has developed a
comprehensive and globally applicable framework for sustainability
reporting.
The catalogue of questions used by the German Sustainability Code
is grouped into a total of 20 criteria dealing with ecological,
social and economic matters. Developed by the German Council for
Sustainable Development in conjunction with business and industry,
the catalogue is designed to help companies embrace sustainable
principles and to provide decision-making aids to stakeholder
groups. Companies issuing a declaration of conformity have to
address all questions posed in the catalogue. Their declarations
have to include both plain language explanations and the figures
and numbers to back them up, thereby creating the highest possible
level of transparency and comparability.
The German Council for Sustainable Development has advised the
German government on matters of sustainability since 2001. Drawn
from diverse areas of public life, its current 15 members were
appointed by Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel in June 2010. The
Council’s remit includes developing contributions to the
implementation of the national sustainability strategy and
designating concrete fields of action and projects while
highlighting sustainability as an important societal endeavour.