KOHLER, Wis. – October 6, 2016 – Kohler Co. has earned its fourth Sustained Excellence Award from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Kohler, the leading manufacturer of kitchen and bath plumbing products in the U.S., has long been dedicated to producing efficient, innovative products that are at the forefront of the industry. The company was recognized for its efforts in promoting the EPA’s WaterSense® program and encouraging consumers to use less water in their homes.
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 has encouraged water conservation since the 1970s,” said Rob Zimmerman, Director-Marketing, Sustainability. “Receiving recognition from the EPA year over year demonstrates our continuing commitment to water-saving initiatives, consumer education and product innovation.”
Since the first WaterSense-labeled KOHLER products were introduced, those products have empowered consumers to reduce water use by over 110 billion gallons and save over $1.3 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.
In recognizing Kohler with this year’s award, the EPA highlighted Kohler’s creativity in promoting water efficiency and WaterSense-labeled products. To reach 2,000 San Francisco residents in need, Kohler created mobile showering stations featuring working models of WaterSense-labeled showerheads, toilets, and faucets. Kohler's showering stations were also installed at Bonnaroo, a four-day music festival in Tennessee with more than 100,000 concert-goers, which Kohler promoted via an extensive social media campaign. The company continued promoting WaterSense-labeled products and messaging throughout the year with two Facebook campaigns, one centered around Earth Day and one a water-saving campaign resulting in more than 3.5 million impressions.
Kohler's "Bold Experience Tour" mobile travelling display visited 101 locations in 21 states. The semi-trailer, outfitted with working models of WaterSense-labeled toilets, faucets, and showerheads, exposed consumers and more than 14,500 plumbing professionals to the benefits of WaterSense-labeled products. Kohler also partnered with Lowe's Home Improvement, a WaterSense retail partner, on a national "Kohler Big Event" marketing campaign that featured WaterSense-labeled toilets, faucets, and showerheads. In addition to its marketing campaign, Kohler collaborated with WaterSense promotional partner Puget Sound Energy to provide WaterSense-labeled showerhead rebate information at local retail stores in the greater Seattle area.
The company also contributed to the Plumbing Efficiency Research Coalition's study on the drainline transport of solid waste in commercial buildings. Kohler engineers provided key analytical guidance to help understand the impacts of lower flush volumes and other variables on wastewater system performance.
Related Materials
Web site: Kohler.com/WaterSaving
About Kohler Co.
Founded in 1873 and headquartered in Kohler, Wisconsin, Kohler Co. is one of America’s oldest and largest privately held companies comprised of 32,000 associates. With more than 50 manufacturing locations worldwide, Kohler is a global leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products; engines and power systems; premier furniture, cabinetry and tile; and owner/operator of two of the world’s finest five-star hospitality and golf resort destinations in Kohler, Wisconsin and St Andrews, Scotland.
Aligning with organizations and programs like EPA WaterSense, Alliance for Water Efficiency, and U.S. Green Building Council, Kohler has positioned itself as a sustainability leader in the plumbing industry with educational programs, awareness campaigns, and water-saving products. Whether specified to earn LEED® green building water-efficiency points, reducing facility operating costs, or meet homeowner needs, KOHLER water-saving fixtures and faucets are designed to conserve natural resources while remaining true to a singular quality level of performance and design. Visit KOHLER.com for information on water-saving plumbing products or believe.kohler.com for stories on Kohler's sustainability mission.
For media materials, please visit kohler.com/press.
About WaterSense
WaterSense, the EPA’s voluntary public-private partnership program, seeks to protect the future of the nation’s water supply by promoting water efficiency and enhancing the market for water-efficient products, programs and practices. Since the program began in 2006, WaterSense has helped consumers save a cumulative 1.5 trillion gallons of water and more than $32.6 billion in water and energy bills.
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Published Oct 17, 2016 9am EDT / 6am PDT / 2pm BST / 3pm CEST