KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
1st November 2013
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  International News
Products 2014 snapshot - a year of design inspiration where there are no rules, says Uber's Bob Gonzalez
Colours 2014 will herald more colour while still respecting the grey, earthy tones which have proved so popular in 2013. Exciting vibrant colours, such as petrol blues and ruby reds, will bring personality into the kitchen. Used alone or mixed with neutral cream or grey tones for islands or a one-wall line, colourful units will be seen everywhere, for every budget.  Ellis Furniture launches curved worktop
Abacus offers ultimate in cutting edge design in linear drains for superb wet rooms
Leisure Sinks goes with the Aquaflow!
Way forward for forests and woodland is announced At an event in the House of Lords on Tuesday, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson received the first report from Grown in Britain, an initiative created six months ago with a mission to kick start a sustainable future for the UKs forests and woodland. Sheer style and Elegance from Abacus Direct
Zapper launches Scan-to-Pay to help SMEs who suffer from late payments
Bushboard ups the design ante with the relaunch its Nuance bathroom surfaces
New Whirlpool fridge freezer prolongs life of fruit and vegetables
Minimum projection, maximum storage opportunities with new Debba furniture range
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Certain members of the press have picked up on the news that the European Commission is to adopt criteria on delivering an Ecolabel to toilets and urinals and have used it to slate the EU, grouping it with such daft decisions as specifying the maximum curve of a cucumber or the fiasco over ‘deadly’ oil jugs and dipping bowls on restaurant tables. They are saying the exercise is a waste of taxpayers’ money. Now regular readers of my leaders will be aware of my hatred of the expensive interference of the EU in areas of our daily lives in which it really has no business becoming involved, but in this case I am in support of the initiative and if the press wants our support in withdrawing from the EU it needs to be reasonable and it needs to get its facts right. The Ecolabel initiative is not new legislation – it simply offers a unified way of showing consumers and professional buyers just which companies are genuinely producing sustainable products and which are merely taking their seats on the green bandwagon. It’s something individual companies will request – not another EU demand. None of the articles I’ve read have mentioned the thinking behind this particular Ecolabel – the fact that our water reserves are seriously depleted and that any toilets and urinals carrying the Ecolabel will be helping to redress the situation by reducing the amount of water needed to flush away our waste. None of them have admitted that if our toilets and urinals waste less water and perhaps use grey water rather than drinking water, it will save us money on our water bills and keep our food costs down – as food manufacture requires a lot of water! A reader commenting on one such article has suggested that with even just 10% of toilets and urinals carrying the Ecolabel, there could potentially be an average of 105 million m³/year annual water savings in Europe. Maths was never my strong point but I understand that if you translate this into costs, it offers savings in water costs of Euros 298.2 million/year or savings in water plus sewage costs of Euros 388.5 million/year. That’s an awful lot of money which, perhaps, even the EU could put to good use…
Yours,
 This Week's News
Leisure Sinks announces its 80th anniversary competition winners
Soapbox: Plug the Energy Drain!
They got a roasting yesterday and our energy suppliers are under a lot of scrutiny. Quite right too. Energy bills are on everyone's mind and we are all looking at ways to keep our costs down. British Ceramic tile makes an impact with its new glass offer
Designed and made in the UK using the finest quality British glass, the newly relaunched Impact Glass collection offers an extensive portfolio of wall tiles, splashbacks and accessories, all created to provide maximum impact when it comes to creating kitchen or bathroom design schemes.
New family of taps are full of plus points
With their graceful design, the new cityplus taps are sleek and contemporary, with a pure, flat design and horizontal proportions that make them perfect for urban living. British Safety Council welcomes drop in fatal and major injuries in GB workplaces The British Safety Council welcomed the improvements in Great Britain's health & safety performance published by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) yesterday in its annual statistics report. LDL introduces 'Bright, Shiny New Stars' from Furnipart
The new collection features 18 stunning designs in a variety of materials including brushed nickel, polished chrome and wood. Ed: This reader wrote in response to my recent leader, in which I confessed to what many others might consider a regular disregard of my personal safety, in order to 'get the job done'. I felt I ought to allow him to remain anonymous as he's still working in the industry and I didn't want to cause him any problems! I've seen this particular practice so often myself... Jan, Regarding your recent leader, all I can say is, yes me too, I do things like that, I will not be ruled, I think, foolishly.
Anyway I have done a load of daft things during my time, working in distribution as a Transport Manager for a well known electrical retailer. Time and again the warehousemen would, when removing palletised goods from the racking bays, say 40 or 50 feet high, if they bumped the racking beam above and knocked one side out, I would get the call to fix. Ellis Furniture launches Hydra Chocolate Grey
SBID's Vanessa Brady, wins Women in the City Award for Built Environment
This neat appliance has great benefits for retailers: Rob Hassell becomes Astracast's Business Development Director
Carron Phoenix's Windsor tap is a classic little number
Sensio welcomes its first Product Developer, Graduate Darcey Wood
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