By Yvonne Orgill, CEO at The Bathroom Manufacturers Association:
Benjamin Franklin once said that there are two certainties in life. Death and Taxes. But there is actually a third, which is that our earth’s resources are finite.
Demand is exceeding supply and we have to do something about it.
Amongst the biggest challenges in our troubled world will be how we plan to manage our dwindling resources. For the sake of our future generations we have to take care of what we have got. The old saying, “waste not, want not” is now more important than it has ever been and we, all players in the bathroom and kitchen industry, have a responsibility to heed its premise and act sustainably.
At the very top of the sustainability list is water and energy, the resources which are so important to life itself.
Water supply is under increasing stress and although Mother Earth seems to be loaded with the stuff the world is using too much of it. And for us mere humans, it’s often the wrong sort of water and in the wrong place!
Given that the sustainability and continuity of our natural resources is one of the most important issues facing our future generations, the independent and entirely voluntary Water Labelling Scheme was developed by manufacturers in the UK bathroom industry.
It is now firmly established across Europe and beyond under the guidance of the European Bathroom Forum. It encompasses 138 major bathroom brands and supports a database which exceeds 10,801 live and current products across 34 nations.
A new website has recently been launched designed to inform and educate the consumer about the benefits of The Water Label, providing them with greater knowledge to make informed choices. www.europeanwaterlabel.eu
The scheme’s database and accompanying product label shows the water-consumption characteristics of bathroom and kitchen products using a quick-to-discover approach so that industry professionals can select products to suit their client’s brief and budget in an informed and educated way.
Industry professionals and consumers alike are using the web more than ever to gather information and knowledge on about just everything. The Water Label is firmly established and well placed to deliver what is required for the bathroom buyer. The water label’s database is unique in Europe.
The award winning scheme is now, undeniably, the most important labelling scheme of its type. Bathroom and kitchen manufacturers are working conscientiously to develop products which are both water and energy efficient whilst maintaining excellent performance and consumer satisfaction. Manufacturers are now pitched against each other in the race for the most efficient products in their particular category.
The latest products show no loss of performance but they do show massive reductions in water and energy consumption.
Those in the know have been worried for some time that our consumption levels are currently too high and are looking for ways to encourage us to change our behaviour towards water and energy. The European Water Label provides us with just one of the tools to help us to use water and energy wisely, and save money.
Manufacturers, interior designers, merchants, retailers and installers are pivotal in ensuring consumers have the correct information to make a more informed choice. They all have a responsibility to spread the word, informing them of the benefits of upgrading their bathrooms to reduce waste and save water and energy bills.
Today’s savvy consumers are actively seeking this information as they move more and more to ‘greener’ ways.
EDUCATION | STANDARDS | SUSTAINABILITY | COMPLIANCE |
