Sustainability in the sanitary industry Our contribution

Geberit products have service lives that span decades because of the high-quality materials used and strict quality standards applied. Furthermore, they are usually backwards-compatible and are easy to clean and maintain. Geberit guarantees the availability of spare parts for up to 50 years for all replaceable mechanical parts of the concealed cistern and actuator plate. Only some specific functionalities of electronic products (for example hygiene flush unit or DuoFresh) are excluded.

Geberit has a long tradition of manufacturing products that save water, especially WC cisterns. According to a model calculation, water consumption for toilet flushing has decreased since 1952 by around 80% from 70 litres to 14 litres per person per day thanks to several innovations such as Geberit dual-flush and stop-and-go cisterns. Every Geberit cistern sold significantly reduces water consumption in homes and other buildings.

We have consistently been developing all our products according to the Ecodesign principle since 2007. This means that every new product should represent an ecological improvement compared to the previous model – without sacrificing quality, functionality or durability. All stages of the product life cycle are taken into consideration for this assessment, from raw material extraction to disposal. Some 180 products have been developed or optimised according to this principle since it was introduced.

In production, we aim to close internal material cycles, minimise waste and recycle it in a sensible way. Plastic is used as efficiently and sparingly as possible to manufacture high-quality and durable products. For example, almost 100% of plastic waste is recycled and reused internally. Geberit also makes every effort to minimise its use of packaging material. The company mainly uses cardboard and avoids expanded polystyrene and other plastics as far as possible.

Geberit consistently reduces energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, the latter having decreased by 56% in proportion to currency-adjusted net sales since 2015. Our CO₂ emission reduction strategy builds on this success. The goal is to reduce CO₂ intensity (CO₂ emissions in proportion to currency-adjusted net sales) by five per cent annually. Geberit also uses electricity from renewable energy sources. In 2022, more than 70% of the electricity we used came from renewable energy sources and certified ecological production.

For the third time in a row, the Geberit Group received the highest platinum award from the EcoVadis platform for its sustainability management. This puts Geberit in the top 1% of all companies listed by EcoVadis across all industries and countries. The award makes it clear to customers and suppliers that Geberit has a comprehensive, systematic and long-term sustainability management system.

In production and logistics, Geberit focuses on resource efficiency, occupational safety and innovative thinking. The company is continuously developing its production processes and reducing its use of resources, its consumption of energy and its waste. With the exception of one new site, all production sites, the logistics centre and the management company are certified according to ISO standards 9001 for quality, 14001 for the environment and 45001 for occupational health and safety. ((Selected sales companies, including ((sales company XY)), are also certified according to ISO 9001)). In addition, some plants are striving for the ISO standard 50001 for energy management.

Training is an important pillar of our work to improve sanitation in developing regions. We work together with training organisations around the world to develop local knowledge on sanitation. We also cooperate with selected aid organisations to sustainably improve sanitary conditions and thus quality of life in developing countries. For example, in 2022, 15 Geberit employees travelled to Nepal to volunteer and under the guidance of experts, they laid pipes for the water supply, secured wells and built water tanks for the local village community.