For many of us across architecture and design, sustainability has shifted to be at the very core of what we do. Our understanding of the way our work impacts the world around us has deepened, and with it a desire to create spaces and specify products that touch the earth lightly. As more and more brands begin to shift their business models to cover sustainability buzzwords, our sights are always set on those that have these principles embedded into their being, that are acting as true stewards of the world around them.

German company KALDEWEI is one such brand. A world leader in enamelled steel bathroom solutions, KALDEWEI’s identity has been built upon the joint pillars of modern luxury, sustainability, meaningful design, and durability, or – in their words – LUXSTAIBILITY. As a family brand, this ethos has been central to their evolution, with four consecutive generations directing the design and production of bathroom solutions that serve the needs of their clients and the planet simultaneously.

The latest achievement in their 100-year journey is a Cradle to Cradle Certification® – a formal recognition of a longstanding commitment to circularity, transparency, and mindful production. Leading the way in the global trend toward a circular economy, KALDEWEI have now independently verified the management of their product lifecycle with their steel and glass product range able to be 100% returned to the material cycle.

Around 600 different KALDEWEI items in their range of products can now be called “Cradle to Cradle Certified®”, including their most sought-after classics (like the Mesisterstuck OYO DUO freestanding baths) which are often specified by leading architects and designers in projects around the world. From 5-star hotels, luxury homes, end-of-trip amenities, and bathroom fit outs for pioneering “green” buildings, the KALDEWEI range ensures wet spaces are more sustainable than ever before, heralding an end to the linear economic system of “take-make-waste”.

With the independent Cradle to Cradle Certification®, KALDEWEI forges a path forward for the circular treatment of bathtubs, shower surfaces, and washbasins. Their silver-level certification underlines their ambitious goals for a trajectory of continual improvement and evolution, already flagged by their pre-existing signatory of the Science Based Targets SBTi and the adoption of CO2 reduced steel. KALDEWEI is now on the way to aligning its processes and product developments strictly according to C2C Certified standards.

Importantly, KALDEWEI has managed to achieve this certification while maintaining their other brand pillars, where the materiality of steel enamel ensures exceptional quality, elegant design, and lifelong durability. As the only bathroom manufacturer who has developed its own enamel formulation and still produces the enamel in its own furnaces, KALDEWEI’s unique use of their material palette reserves an inimitable spot in global design circles, and has been the foundation for the strides made in circularity.

A notable international name, KALDEWEI is available in Australia through Bathe, a local destination for the world’s finest bathroomware. Bathe is closely attuned to the rhythms and innovations in the Australian design space, and their global networks ensure the best of international innovation is available through their collections. Amidst a growing understanding of the importance of circularity, KALDEWEI’s certification allows Bathe to connect designers and architects to a new standard of bathroomware, where every piece can be exceptional in form and function, whilst also prioritising a more sustainable future.