Grohe AG, a world-leading supplier of sanitary faucets and fittings, is among the top three winners of the 2014 German Sustainability Award. Thanks to its commitment to the responsible use of water and energy, GROHE was one of three companies nominated for the ‘Resource Efficiency’ special award, which was presented, together with other prizes, at a festive gala in Düsseldorf on November 28.

GROHE is renowned for its unique innovations that allow users to reduce their water and energy consumption. Integrated into the company’s faucets, showers, thermostats and sanitary systems, water-saving technologies such as GROHE EcoJoy® can help a family of four save up to 63,000 litres of water and 1,300 kilowatt hours of energy per year. One of the company’s most prominent innovations is the GROHE Blue® water system, which supplies three varieties of chilled and filtered table water straight from the tap - with a carbon footprint significantly below that of bottled mineral water empowering consumers to mitigate their impact on the environment and on natural resources in a sustainable manner. The manufacturer of sanitary products and systems is also committed to resource efficiency in its own production facilities, which boast high recycling ratios.

The prize ceremony at the Düsseldorf Maritim Hotel was attended by some 1,200 guests from the corporate and municipal sectors, as well as the political, research and social communities. “Unfortunately, sustainability is still not something that can be taken for granted in our society,” said Michael Rauterkus, member of the Management Board of Grohe AG, “but at GROHE it has been firmly rooted in our structures and processes for many years. Sustainability is embraced by all our employees. Being among the top three winners of the German Sustainability Award will encourage us to continue to think ahead and to drive resource efficiency in our line of industry.”

The event was hosted by the initiator of the award, TV science journalist Stefan Schulze-Hausmann. He was joined on stage by bestselling author Henning Mankell, Academy Award winner Colin Firth and his wife Livia, former German President Horst Köhler and sports legend Katharina Witt.

The German Sustainability Award is an initiative of the Stiftung Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis e.V. in conjunction with the federal government, the umbrella organisations of municipal and local authorities, confederations of business and industry, civil society organisations and research institutions. It was awarded for the seventh time.