Product Sustainability
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At Kohler, we are making sustainability as inseparable from Kohler as design and innovation, quality, and artistry. Fromwater efficiency, durability, and recycled materials to third-party certifications, we create products that offer sustainability without the sacrifice in performance or style.
KOHLER Sustainable Products
Kohler’s longstanding commitment to sustainability is reflected in our mission, our operations, and our products.
Product Transparency
In 2024 Kohler continued its response to product transparency requests, with 460 requests for Environmental Product Declarations (EDPs) and 99 requests for product transparency documents that include information on recycled content and embodied carbon as well as Declare labels.
Environmental Product Declarations
Environmental product declarations (EPDs) are standardized, third-party-verified documents that quantify environmental impacts throughout the life cycle of a product. As we continue to expand our capabilities and data inventory to produce EPDs, Kohler is able to create EPDs for many products upon request. Please visit our LEED Certification page to find out more, or contact transparency@kohler.com.
Declare Labels
Declare labels are third-party-verified documents that show compliance with Living Building Challenge criteria developed by the International Living Future Institute, a coalition of architects, engineers, manufacturers, and builders that is focused on green building. Kohler has Declare labels available for thousands of products and can create Declare labels for many other products upon request. Please visit our LEED Certification page to find out more, or contact transparency@kohler.com.
Design for Environment
Kohler utilizes our Design for Environment (DfE) methodology in all new product development projects for our Kitchen and Bath operations in North America to better understand the environmental impact of our products throughout their life cycles. This process enables us to analyze materials and design decisions that can affect water flow rates, manufacturing processes, packaging, transportation, and end-of-life options for recycling or reuse.
DfE Process Increases New Product Sustainability
We introduced several new products in 2024 that went through the DfE process, including:
A New Life for Plastic Bottles
The Aerobloc™ shower tray from Jacob Delafon is made from an exclusive and innovative material that uses 60% recycled materials, including PET from recycled plastic bottles.
FSC-Certified Vanities
Our Maxstow™ line of bathroom vanities is Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, which verifies that over 70% of the wood used in the products come from responsibly managed forests.
Creating a More Accessible Shower
The Mira Select Flex is an innovative mixer shower that is designed to support a wide range of accessibility needs, including limited vision, dexterity, and mobility. DfE methodology included the use of sustainable materials and extensive user testing with the target audience through a partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People.
Increasing Sustainable Packaging
In 2024, approximately 680 metric tons of product packaging materials were eliminated, reduced, or replaced with more sustainable material alternatives by our Packaging Engineering team. This team’s efforts reduced associated carbon emissions by over 1,900 metric tons of CO₂e.
2024 Packaging Highlights
• Launched 40% of new Kitchen & Bath products in recyclable packaging
• Converted packaging for KOHLER® brand vanities in North America and China from expanded polystyrene foam, wood, and single-use plastic packaging to recyclable materials
• Converted packaging for KOHLER brand mirror packaging in India from expanded polystyrene foam to recyclable materials
• Kohler Mira eliminated single-use plastic in the product packaging at its Cheltenham and Hull facilities, which will prevent the use of 860,000 plastic bags per year
• Converted 4,400 legacy Kitchen & Bath SKUs to recyclable packaging
Our Stories
Read more stories about the impact Kohler associates are making across the company and in communities around the world.