Dornbracht launches ReCrafted, setting new sustainability standards in the bathroom industry
Iserlohn, 7 March 2023
German fittings manufacturer, Dornbracht, has launched a new business model that allows eco-conscious design enthusiasts to buy refurbished Dornbracht fittings via a new online shop. The programme was introduced in an effort to reduce carbon footprint, which is calculated to save around 40% of CO2 emissions*, compared to the creation of an entirely new product. Every fitting has been renovated and hand-finished with the uncompromising precision and excellent quality synonymous with all of the brand’s products.
Stefan Gesing, CEO of Dornbracht AG & Co. KG: “When our customers buy a ReCrafted fitting, not only are they giving timeless classic designs a new home, they are also showing environmental awareness. The focus is on retaining the value of the products and minimising the use of resources. Apart from this, our project also preserves intangibles, such as the manual skills and craftsmanship that have been imparted in our workshop for decades.”
Part of Dornbracht’s established production in Germany
Dornbracht’s production facility in Iserlohn, Germany, manufactures products starting from size 1, which allows the ReCrafted process to be integrated into existing production lines. By producing a large proportion of parts for individual fittings themselves through manual activities, Dornbracht maintains a high-level of control over the production which further enables the process of ReCrafted. Furthermore, thanks to Dornbracht’s x-tra service, the company already has experience in refurbishing used fittings: Customer requests for bespoke solutions has been implemented in the department for more than 70 years – including repairing old fittings.
A seven step renovation process
- Each fitting is dismantled into its individual parts. A rigorous evaluation and sorting process takes place, collating the elements for refurbishment and for those unsuitable parts, recycling via regional partners. As an example of the recycling process, old cartridges are turned into plastic granules.
- The bodies of the fittings are then decoated in an electrolytic process, to recover surface raw materials such as gold
- Grinding and polishing processes take place
- The fittings are manually plated with a new surface finish
- The fittings are branded with the Dornbracht ReCrafted logo
- The fittings are commissioned and new components are added
- Finally, each ReCrafted fitting and its certificate are packed into ecological packaging
Dornbracht ReCrafted is part of a holistic sustainability mission
The company has pursued a holistic sustainability approach since its foundation in 1950, honouring the brand’s guiding principles of durability and timeless design:
- 80% of Dornbracht’s raw materials come from Germany and 98% from Europe
- Most primary products come from less than 200km away from Dornbracht’s Iserlohn-based factory
- In 2015, Dornbracht also introduced an ISO 50001-compliant Energy Management System and has already been able to save 1.7 million kWh per year
- Since the end of 2021, all the electricity powering Dornbracht’s head office has come exclusively from renewable energy
- In 2022, Dornbracht also achieved a new certification under the ISO 14001 environmental management standard
-ENDS-
NOTES TO EDITORS
*According to calculations by the TÜV Rheinland technical inspection services
**The current Dornbracht ReCrafted product portfolio can be found at www.dornbracht-recrafted.shop and is available to purchase from the following EU countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. As soon as orders from the UK can also be processed in the webshop, we will inform you accordingly.
For further information on Dornbracht’s sustainability projects, go to www.dornbracht.com/sustainability.
Tirna Sweeney