Premium sanitary ware specialist Hansgrohe Group is creating waves in Dubai’s thriving luxury real estate market. The company’s premium brands, hansgrohe and AXOR, are not only meeting the design demands of discerning homeowners but also championing an impressive sustainability drive, setting a new standard for responsible living in the emirate.

While headquartered in Shiltach, Germany, Hansgrohe boasts a robust presence in the Middle East through a network of partners and distributors. Notably, the company operates two showrooms in the UAE, one in Dubai and another in Abu Dhabi.

Hansgrohe’s premium and luxury products, including showers, shower systems, faucets and accessories, can be found in some of the region’s leading hotel and hospitality projects.  Among them are the Burj Khalifa, the Bulgari Hotel & Resort, W Hotel & Residences, Jewel of the Creek, Address Skyview Towers, Address Dubai Mall Hotel, Address Fujairah Hotel, Sofitel Hotel & Resort at Palm Jumeirah, Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, Nikki Beach Hotel and Resort, and Grand Cosmopolitan Hotel – all of which boast AXOR products.

Hansgrohe Group has received a wealth of awards for its sustainability innovation commitment, including its most recent success – a “Gold for Green” German Sustainability Award.  It has also earned a series of accreditations from leading environmental certification bodies in the region, including the SASO of Saudi Arabia; Estidama of Abu Dhabi and Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme (ECAS). 

 One of the company’s most ambitious and innovative sustainability initiatives to date is its “Green Vision”, a bathroom design concept developed in collaboration with Phoenix Design. This revolutionary concept boasts a 90 per cent reduction in water and energy usage, translating to a 90 per cent decrease in CO2 emissions within the bathroom space.

“In recent years of development utilising qualitative market research and design thinking methods, a ‘bathroom of the future’ was created, which is probably the most sustainable bathroom that functions almost without water. The results question and rethink existing rituals about bathing and hygiene, and the project is exemplary of Hansgrohe Group’s pioneering quest to protect the planet,” says Andreas Wolf, Head of Sales CIS & Middle East.

Green Vision ... a concept designed to create the bathroom of the future.

While Green Vision is a concept study that has the potential to become reality, the technical innovations of the individual modules are already being incorporated into the development of AXOR and hansgrohe products. 

The company is committed to ensuring that, by 2030, all of its water-bearing products will be available exclusively with water-saving technologies.  By 2025, the group will already have converted 75 per cent of its overhead and hand-held showers to EcoSmart technology, which reduces the amount of shower water consumed on a daily basis by up to 60 per cent.  Hansgrohe’s EcoSmart overhead and hand showers consume just eight litres of water per minute, with some managing to use as little as six litres, according to Wolf.

Water conservation does not come at the expense of design aesthetics. The AXOR brand continues to collaborate with some of the world’s leading designers, including Philippe Starck, Barber Osgerby and Antonio Citterio, where the aim is always to create highly original iconic designs that also facilitate the highest levels of water and energy saving, he adds. Some of these most iconic collaborations include AXOR ShowerComposition by Starck, AXOR One Shower Set and AXOR Citterio Rhombic and E collections by Citterio, amongst others.  

Sustainability was also intrinsic in the development of hansgrohe’s new ceramics collection, a totally new addition, positioning the company as a holistic provider of bathroom interiors.  The Elupura toilet range and Xuniva washbasin collections are constructed from entirely natural and recyclable materials, while boasting a level of design aesthetic for which hansgrohe’s showers and faucets have become renowned.  

The drive to be environmentally conscious is not just limited to product design and outstanding innovation, but is evident across all of the company’s operations where its objectives are divided into three categories; conserving water, protecting the environment and becoming part of the circular economy.

The sustainability team of the Hansgrohe Group has defined 10 initiatives with concrete objectives and projects that contribute to these three fields of action, including Green Production and Green Packaging as well as Green Products initiatives.

It has long recognised the importance of collaboration in the drive to be sustainable and works closely with architects and interior designers in a collective mission to ensure sustainability targets are met in the built environment.  A recent event held at its Dubai showroom saw the region’s leading architects gather to hear about the company’s commitment to water and energy conservation, and the significant contribution it is making within the hotel and hospitality sector, where sustainability issues continue to remain high on the agenda.

The company also shares its best practice and vision with the next generation. Vice President of Sales MEA, CIS and LatAm, Martial Gil, recently addressed Architecture students at the American University of Sharjah, which was in his words, “a drive to spark their creativity and equip them with the knowledge and mindset to transform spaces while considering the ecological footprint”. 

Highlighting best practice within the environmental sector also remains high on the agenda for Gil, who has presented at a number of thought leadership platforms on the topic of sustainability held in Dubai.

Gil comments: “The mission to protect the previous resource of water is ongoing and it’s a collective responsibility.  It is not a solo journey but a collaborate effort that thrives on diverse perspectives and expertise.  Sharing important elements of our vision with clients, partners stakeholders, including the next generation of designers and architects, as well as environmentalists is very important as it stimulates debate and encourages a keen focus that ultimately leads to action and progress.”