Community Updates

Kohler’s Support of WaterSense® Program Once Again Earns EPA Recognition

Kohler Co. has earned its fifth consecutive Sustained Excellence Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Kohler, the leading manufacturer of kitchen and bath plumbing products in the U.S., has partnered with the EPA’s WaterSense® program since 2007 and was recognized again in 2017 for its leadership in water-saving product innovation and consumer advocacy. In 2008, the EPA named Kohler the first recipient of its WaterSense Manufacturer Partner of the Year Award. In each year since, Kohler has earned additional recognition from the EPA, including the agency’s first Sustained Excellence award in 2013.

Published 7 years ago | About a 2 minute read

In 2008, the EPA named Kohler the first recipient of its WaterSense Manufacturer Partner of the Year Award. In each year since, Kohler has earned additional recognition from the EPA, including the agency’s first Sustained Excellence award in 2013.

“Kohler is honored to be recognized as a Sustained Excellence Award winner again this year,” said Rob Zimmerman, Director – Sustainability and Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WaSH). “The WaterSense program delivers value on many levels, creating efficiency targets for manufacturers, measurable and significant gains in water use that utilities and regulators can count on, and a recognizable label consumers can look for when purchasing products. Kohler offers more than 700 models of toilets, urinals, bathroom faucets, and showerheads that carry the WaterSense label and promotes the program through a promise of saving water without sacrificing performance.”

In recognizing Kohler this year, the EPA highlighted Kohler Co.’s success in promoting WaterSense nationwide, donating WaterSense-labeled products to various events and charitable causes, and releasing an industry-leading, water-efficient toilet. The 1.0 gallons per flush Highline toilet combines gravity with precision-engineered design that creates a stronger flush with less water.

The Highline toilet was featured prominently in Kohler’s Sustainability Campaign, which produced 4.8 million impressions. The campaign used Instagram and Facebook to target customers in states plagued by droughts in 2016, including California, Washington, Oregon, and Arizona.

Kohler also sponsors a mobile marketing campaign in key states to showcase working models of WaterSense-labeled toilets, faucets and showerheads. In 2016, the company added a new semi-trailer unit to its water-saving fleet and visited 175 home shows, conferences, and professional plumbing supply stores to tout the performance and benefits of WaterSense-labeled plumbing fixtures. Overall, more than 36,000 plumbing professionals and other visitors toured the trailers, a 90 percent increase from the previous year.

Kohler exhibited its WaterSense labeled products at major trade shows such as Design & Construction Week in Las Vegas and Dwell on Design and Greenbuild in Los Angeles. Kohler donated WaterSense-labeled products to homes for disabled veterans through the Homes for Our Troops organization. The company also continued its partnership with the Lavamae mobile showering project for homeless residents in California by donating WaterSense-labeled toilets, faucets, and showerheads.

Since the first WaterSense-labeled KOHLER products were introduced, those products have empowered consumers to reduce water use by more than 140 billion gallons and save more than $2.3 billion in water, sewer and energy costs. The labels make it easy for consumers to identify and purchase products that save water while maintaining the performance excellence and sophisticated design for which Kohler has long been renowned.