Sustainable bathroom solutions

VitrA promotes gender equality in the industry through initiatives designed to increase the share of women in its workforce. Our strategy includes making use of digital innovation and technology to widen the participation of women.

Our vision is to build an equitable and renewable future together with our partners and our communities. VitrA's new sustainability action plan, "VitrA Forward", aims to accelerate the global movement towards a more sustainable future.

With more than 2,030 dealers and suppliers, we are ambitious about reducing our environmental footprint. VitrA therefore plans to work with stakeholders across its value chain to design solutions that deliver ease and comfort while cutting emissions, using fewer resources and eliminating waste. To reach these goals, we have developed a comprehensive sustainability action plan built around a series of sustainable initiatives.

VitrA is seeking closer collaboration on sustainability

We believe that cross-sector work is essential to making meaningful progress on our sustainability strategy. Environmental and social perspectives sit at the heart of our commitment to science and innovation in every area of product development, which is why we shape our work in line with guidance from academic institutions. We contribute to the sustainability movement through partnerships with universities and through projects such as life cycle assessments (LCA) and the "Design for All" programme (Sheffield Hallam study).

A new toolkit for VitrA's diversity and inclusion initiatives: reverse mentoring

We have launched a new reverse mentoring programme, "Sizinleyiz" ("We are with you"), to empower women in business, build bridges between genders, open the way for different perspectives and address the under-representation of women employees in decision-making. Through a range of training sessions and meetings, the programme breaks down barriers and contributes to gender equality.

At VitrA, we are determined to tackle gender discrimination, and we want to do this through partnerships with non-governmental organisations as we develop our projects. We are building a holistic approach to sustainability that benefits society as a whole.

VitrA develops projects to increase the ratio of women in the sector

VitrA promotes gender equality in the industry through initiatives designed to increase the share of women in its workforce. Our strategy includes making use of digital innovation and technology to widen the participation of women.

Thanks to automated and robotic casting and glazing technologies, we have reduced physical labour in our factories while the share of women specialists has reached 22%. To take this further, we are targeting 50% female employment across all of our new investments.

VitrA has a long-term strategy for empowering women in the region

In line with our commitment to creating value for all stakeholders, VitrA has adopted a long-term approach to empowering women in the region. Beyond providing employment opportunities, we prioritise investing in the skills development of our community.

Our new project aims to strengthen the role of women by investing in their academic skills, thereby contributing to the long-term sustainable development of the region. We run regular training programmes for women to help secure the sustainability and success of community organisations.

VitrA positions the metaverse as a new opportunity in talent acquisition

We continue to support diversity with innovative approaches to talent acquisition and digitalisation.

Empowering the future of women in STEM: scholarships for women engineers

The VitrA Scholarship Programme is one of our pioneering education projects, giving economically disadvantaged groups access to quality education. VitrA provides scholarships to women engineers to help close the disadvantages they face in working life. We are aware of the educational and professional challenges faced by women working in STEM fields. To help overcome them, our scholarship programme — launched in 2019 — continues to support 15 women engineers as they succeed in their chosen field.

VitrA empowers women in the sector

Our "women in the world of sales" approach sets out to show the difference women can make to the industry, whatever their job description. Recognising how low the participation of women is in the construction sector, and particularly in the sales channel, we aim to encourage female employment across the industry. By supporting women as active participants, we want to promote diversity and break down gender roles.

VitrA's VBenzeri Kampüs project brings students together with education and creativity

Through our VBenzeri Kampüs project we visit universities and create a platform that brings together students of industrial design, architecture, interior architecture and engineering. We enrich the project throughout the year with conferences, workshops and student meet-ups.

A strategic approach to a more sustainable product portfolio

In our production processes, we work to improve the quality of our products continuously, starting from the very first design stage. With our Design Optimisation project, we redesigned channel sections and reduced body thickness, saving 101.5 tonnes of raw material — equivalent to a 7.6% reduction in total material use in mixer tap production.

Our Runner & Riser Design Optimisation projects have delivered a range of benefits, including energy savings of 50,000 kWh. Our peeling and thickness reduction initiative for mixer taps prevented 12.8 tonnes of raw material waste and saved 3,840 kWh of energy a year. Our ongoing efforts to optimise production processes stem from our commitment to sustainability and efficiency, and we are determined to make even greater progress in these areas.

VitrA blends supply chain optimisation with its sustainability targets

We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint not only in our own operations but across our internal processes as well. While minimising the harmful environmental effects of greenhouse gas emissions, we remain committed to increasing transport volumes. With this in mind, we work to optimise resource use, maximise digitalisation and reduce the amount of packaging material generated. In this context, we are implementing projects covering container usage and dimension optimisation, changes to shipping methods, and pallet optimisation.

Advanced technology for a sustainable future: touch-free taps that conserve water with ease

90% of our mixer tap range is made up of water-saving products.

Touch-free hand washing technology: VitrA's touch-free basin mixers are designed with advanced sensor technology that detects the presence of the user and stops the flow of water as soon as they move out of the detection area, actively contributing to water savings. A significant 40% of these mixers consume just 1.3 litres of water per minute, reducing total water use by up to 90%.

A revolution in sustainability: the energy-saving BluEco cartridge with 90° technology

VitrA creates innovative solutions to the environmental impact of excessive energy and water use, without compromising on comfort in the bathroom. Traditional approaches to water and energy efficiency often treat the two separately, but it is important to recognise that reducing consumption in both areas serves the shared goal of minimising greenhouse gas emissions. Saving water can contribute directly to energy savings by reducing the treatment demand placed on municipal water systems.

When the BluEco cartridge is turned 90° to the left, the tap delivers cold water even with the lever in the central position. Hot water is engaged only when the lever is turned to the left, so unnecessary use of hot water is avoided. The cartridge therefore enables energy savings of up to 60% — the equivalent of the energy needed to heat 17 tonnes of water a year.

Smarter bathroom solutions for a better planet: VitrA

When designing our products, we consider not only factors such as energy and water savings but also cost savings from using less detergent and toilet paper. The best example of this approach is the VitrA V-Care smart toilet: a state-of-the-art cleansing solution that offers a comfortable, hygienic experience while minimising the need for toilet paper and so reducing the environmental impact of personal care routines.

Changing lives: healthier students with the Eczacıbaşı Hygiene Project

Eczacıbaşı Group launched the Eczacıbaşı Hygiene Project in 2007 to improve the physical conditions of regional boarding schools and give them modern, high-quality and healthy living conditions. As part of the project, the dormitories are renovated by the Ministry of National Education, while VitrA and Artema products are used in the renovation of bathrooms and toilets. Selpak provides students with personal hygiene training, and Eczacıbaşı Professional supplies hygiene products to the renovated schools.

Introducing VitrA's Green Bathroom Solutions catalogue

We care about where our products are used, which is why we created the Green Bathroom Solutions catalogue to showcase our environmentally friendly products and our approach to sustainability. Our aim is to work together with industry professionals, designers and homeowners for a greener future.

View the catalogue

VitrA leads the way to a sustainable future through communication

As we work towards a sustainable world, raising awareness, producing environmentally friendly products, saving energy, reducing emissions in logistics operations and encouraging conservation are all essential. To bring our sustainability vision to life, we run awareness initiatives and promotional campaigns on our social media channels, for example around World Environment Day.

VitrA drives change through water savings: the Treated Water Use project

Water conservation has been a critical focus for our organisation for many years. With this in mind, we have carried out extensive research and analysis into reducing water consumption.

Through our Treated Water Use project we stopped using fresh water in our raw material preparation unit. Starting with a volume of 30,000 cubic metres in 2007, by 2021 we were treating and reusing 150,000 cubic metres of water in our production processes — a significant 40% of our total water use. In the near future we aim to raise the share of reused water to 50%.

VitrA turns waste heat into energy: our heat recovery work for energy savings

One of our flagship energy-saving initiatives is the application of waste heat recovery. Our innovative cooling systems allow us to capture heat that is often released into the atmosphere through chimneys and use it to warm the water used in our production. The heated water is directed to the relevant departments for recovery, while excess heat is channelled to the boiler room.

In this context, we achieved substantial energy savings of 32.39 GWh between 2016, when the economiser systems were commissioned, and 2021. This represents a significant 71.9% of the energy savings achieved since the economiser systems came into use.

Big impact from small changes: reducing our use of cardboard and shrink packaging for a better future

As part of our logistics operations, we run projects that aim to improve our processes and optimise them through the effective use of resources. By introducing an alternative box plan for products of similar dimensions, we gained a significant cost advantage and made a positive contribution to the environment. As a result of this work, we now use an average of 50 tonnes less cardboard. We also reduced the thickness of our films from 120 to 100 microns, saving an average of 75 tonnes of shrink film material.

VitrA takes action for zero waste and maximum impact

We define waste as "materials that have value but are in the wrong place". Guided by the idea that nothing should go to landfill, we prioritise internal and external industrial symbiosis activities to make sure every product is ultimately recycled.

In doing so, we aim to use all of our outputs in both internal and external activities. As a result of this work, in 2021 we recycled 80% of our waste, including 8,800 tonnes of waste plaster moulds, 34,000 tonnes of waste ceramic products and 900 tonnes of core sand for use in the cement industry.

VitrA places the circular economy at the heart of its production process

Together with our stakeholders, we aim to minimise hazardous waste and turn waste into resources, and we are developing a range of projects to achieve this. In our brass waste reuse project, waste generated during production is re-melted and used in our own production.

By reusing this material we have reached zero waste in mixer tap production, saving 350 tonnes of brass a year — the equivalent of 26% of our total raw material use.

A revolution in process design

By redesigning our existing pallets to remove the need for wooden separators, we eliminated the use of timber in our concealed cistern project. This change delivered a significant annual reduction of 160 tonnes.

In our furniture products, changing the panel size in our new ROOT series reduced our scrap rate from 16% to 9% — the equivalent of around 20,000 trees. In the products where we applied cutting optimisation, our re-cutting rate fell by 20% in 2021 alone.

Striving towards 100% renewable energy

Our primary goal is to increase energy efficiency and encourage the sustainable use of resources. We are determined to decouple our growth from energy consumption while reducing the negative effects of greenhouse gas emissions.

In line with our vision, we plan to build a 110,000 square metre solar energy facility by 2025. With an estimated renewable capacity of 26.5 GWh, this facility will take our sustainability goals further still. Once we reach the intended level, we will be able to meet up to 37% of our electricity needs from solar energy, reducing our carbon footprint and strengthening our sustainability ambition.

Our net zero commitment: investing in renewable energy sources to create a cleaner world

As an organisation that recognises the importance of renewable energy in fostering a sustainable future, we have taken concrete steps. These include investing in both on-site and off-site projects to maximise the benefits of renewable energy, and obtaining the I-REC Renewable Energy Certificate. As of 2022 we committed to purchasing renewable electricity only, and we set a target of sourcing 35% of our electricity from renewables by 2025.

Maximising container fill rates for a fully green world

Aware that the emissions from our processes are not limited to in-house operations, we have also taken measures to reduce emissions in our logistics activities. In particular, we focus on increasing container fill rates in order to minimise the frequency of partial loads and reduce the number of shipments. This allows us to make meaningful progress towards our overall emissions reduction target.