Today, Kohler Co., a global leader in the innovation and manufacture of plumbing products; tile, cabinetry and lighting; as well as engines generators and clean energy solutions, has released its first ever Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) report. Prepared with reference to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the report also outlines the actions the company is taking to embed ESG in its strategy and operations.
“As we continue innovating solutions and accelerating action, we know that any progress we make is the result of the passion and commitment of more than 40,000 Kohler associates around the world,” said Laura Kohler, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Stewardship and Sustainability. “We believe that when our associates are empowered to find purpose in their work, they truly improve the world and this first ESG report is a reflection of those efforts.”
According to the report, throughout the course of 2021, Kohler was able to achieve:
- 54% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) intensity across operations since 2008; 10% reduction in net GHG emissions intensity in 2021 from prior year across operations
- 52% reduction in water intake intensity since 2008; 7% reduction in water intake intensity in 2021 from prior year across operations
- 3% increase in the ratio of women hired compared to men globally
- 61% of permanent associate hires were women, Black or Latino/a/x
The company also reports two new products under development in its Innovation for Good incubator with another recently added to the market to enable access to safe water and sanitation. Additionally, Kohler launched the Abstra tile collection, a product of the Kohler WasteLAB, which is made from 100% recycled manufacturing waste.
Additional Highlights from the Kohler ESG Report
Renewable Energy
Powering its continued investments in solar, the company installed a 2.25-megawatt solar field at its headquarters in partnership with Alliant Energy that will provide enough clean energy to power 580 homes per year in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.
Conserving Water
The company introduced a line of whole-home water monitoring and leak detection devices, H2Wise™ and H2Wise™+, in partnership with Phyn, a leader in water-leak detection technology. The system alerts customers to water leaks that not only waste water, but also can lead to water damage and can even provide automatic shutoffs in the event of a catastrophic leak.
Advocating Globally for Clean Water and Safe Sanitation
A flagship initiative, Safe Water for All, leverages Kohler’s expertise to help underserved populations by improving water infrastructure, building water filtration kiosks and bathrooms and in some cases providing entire villages with access to safe water. In 2021, Kohler led eight water impact projects and four bathroom-improvement projects in India and China that impacted over 9,000 lives.
Expanding DEI Support and Commitments
In 2021, Kohler launched a diverse supplier program to gather data on spending with diverse suppliers including minority-owned, women-owned, disabled-owned, veteran-owned and small businesses. Kohler also expanded support of educational programs to focus on equality of opportunity and access to education for students at each stage of their development, from K-12 through their transition to the workforce.
The full report is available on www.KohlerBelievingInBetter.com.