Live life more sustainably with Gustavsberg
Gustavsberg has long been a pioneer, powering the development of sanitary products for the bathroom since the early 1900s. That was when we became involved in building away “crappy Sweden”. During the energy crisis of 1974, it became clear that it was neither tenable nor acceptable to continue wasting energy and water,
so we developed solutions and technology that were designed to save energy and water – and which are still in use today. The current trend is for us all to be smarter in all aspects of our lives so as to establish a lifestyle that protects our planet. And once again, our ambition is to take the lead and show the way.
How to create a resource-efficient bathroom with reduced environmental impact
Here at Gustavsberg, we consider the entire life cycle of the product – from raw material to recycled or reused – to be our responsibility. Our work with sustainability starts as early as in the design and construction phase. It is there that we lay the foundations for the choice of functionality, materials and production methods. We are continuously developing methods in the production phase, and we work closely with our subcontractors in this regard. The biggest positive effect on the life cycle analysis is achieved by ensuring that our products feature elevated quality and have long service lives – and that they provide effective functionality that saves resources. In addition, sustainability is about a lot more than “just” smart solutions that save energy, water and money year after year. We base our work on the following three pillars, where we can exert major influence and do a lot of good:
A sustainable and
healthy society
Our solutions for infrastructure in the area of water and sanitation play a key role in people’s everyday lives. Through our work, we are continuously to improve people’s hygienic standards and well-being in a sustainable manner.
Long-term welfare for
everyone we interact with
We are to contribute to society by being an ethical, inclusive, financially viable, proactive and innovative partner.
Improved resource-efficiency and reduced environmental impact
We are constantly developing our products and processes so as to minimise resource consumption and to limit their environmental impact throughout the products’ service lives.
![[Translate to English:] New Nautic](/fileadmin/_processed_/2/e/csm_Levlivetibadrummet_nyanautic_052fda9801.jpg)
Our products
For the good of the planet, you need to be sure today that your bathroom is functional, of high quality and lasts a long time, and that it is resource efficient by not wasting energy, water and money. Here it can be nice to know that Gustavsberg is a leader in sustainability in our industry, so that you can dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to enjoying life in the bathroom. What do we mean by being a leader in sustainability?
• By offering the most energy-efficient mixers and toilets with 2/4 flush as standard
• We declare more and more products' CO2 equivalent footprint completely transparently via the international EPD system (Environmental Product Declaration)
• We work holistically with energy, environment, social issues, labor law and equality with the UN's global sustainability goals as a guiding light
A good example is our bathroom series Gustavsberg Nautic, which includes our most energy-efficient faucets ever. Not only are they full of smart and replaceable technology, which allows for long life and even reuse and upcycling, they are also recyclable the day they have finished serving in your bathroom.
Gustavsberg and the UN
Our work with sustainability is based on the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). These UN goals cover everything from global peace to combating poverty, from protecting the environment to supplying people all over the world with clean water and clean, accessible energy. We wholeheartedly support the UN’s ambitious agenda.
Innovations for generations
“Use once and throw away” has never been a good idea. Throughout its long history, Gustavsberg has always represented timeless, Scandinavian design, high quality and peerless function – in other words, products that are inherently sustainable on account of their long service lives. You could say that our way of thinking is back in fashion once more, and we are thankful for that.
Focus on the future
We take a humble approach to the work with sustainability we have before us, but we are confident that Gustavsberg is well equipped for the task: Backed by almost a century of knowledge – and an equally long tradition of constant innovation – combined with a range of smart, high quality products in a timeless design that already meets many of the demands that are sure to be made on the bathrooms of the future.
EPD – environmental properties from a life cycle perspective
As one of the first manufacturing companies in the Nordic region, we are proud to supply sanitary porcelain and mixers that come with an environmental declaration in line with the international EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) system.
The environmental product declarations are based on a system that objectively describes environmental properties in goods and services from a life cycle perspective (LCA). In order to produce comparable data, each declaration is prepared using set rules specific to the product category (PCR) in question, where the data are then verified by an independent certified reviewer.
Spare parts are the key to reuse
We have always considered it natural to work with high-quality, functional products. Maintaining a solid stock of spare parts is likewise a long tradition, where our aim is to make it simple to maintain products rather than having to buy new ones.
The service life of a product is absolutely crucial when it comes to calculating its environmental impact, so our focus on spare parts is significant from the perspective of sustainability. As we work with products that are made of highly durable materials and can withstand long-term wear and tear, only a few parts will ever need to be replaced.
That said, we are now taking our work with spare parts to a new level. By making it possible to update old products using parts that provide the same smart, new functionality as is to be found in new products, we help extend the service lives of the original products even further. One example of this is the reuse pack, where function components can be replaced in older models of the Nautic mixer, thus enabling them to meet the tough new requirements that apply today regarding, for instance, the highest energy class and EU taxonomy. We think this is pretty smart.
Certification system for entire properties
More and more property owners today are signing up for an environmental assessment system that includes their entire property – new builds and existing buildings alike. We at Gustavsberg have a range of products and solutions suited to precisely this. For example:
• EU´s Taxonomi
• LEED
• Breeam
• Miljöbyggnad (Green Building)
Certified products
We supply products suited to different certification systems and relevant standards in our sector. In order to make the choice of product even easier, we have prepared a matrix containing a selection of the product and property certifications we can provide at product level.
A certified operation
We work systematically on the continuous development of our production set-up and processes in order to reduce our climate footprint and to work in a sustainable manner. Our systematic work with the environment results in major energy savings and environmental benefits, and we are committed to complying with recognised standards to help us achieve our different sustainability goals.
Here are the certifications our company has been awarded:
• ISO 14001 Environmental certification
• ISO 9001 Quality management
• ISO-50001 Energy management
• ISO-45001 Systematic OHAS work