KBzine: the original kitchen and bathroom industry e-news - since 2002
28th January 2021
We strongly recommend viewing KBzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
Soapbox: Bathroom manufacturers do their bit for the water crisis
By Chris Taylor-Hamlin, Technical Director of the Bathroom Manufacturers Association
According to researchers reporting recently in the journal Nature, more people are likely to encounter severe stress on their water supply in the coming decades, as the climate changes and the human population continues to grow. They go on to say that nearly five billion people live in areas experiencing a high level of threats to human water security or biodiversity.
This confirms, yet again, what we have been worried about for some time. Our members began looking at what they could do to help several years ago. They were inspired to design and develop innovative bathroom products which were super water efficient yet still gave the user the bathing experience he had become used to. They wanted to help reduce water consumption in the bathroom.
The BMA then set about listing these products in its unique Water Efficient Product Labelling Scheme."
WEPLS, as it has become known, has grown from strength to strength. From its beginnings as an idea thrown around in one of the BMA's technical committees, WEPLS is now an award winning benchmark scheme for listing the very best eco-friendly bathrooms.
We are all becoming increasingly aware of the need to save our precious resources. When consumers are contemplating refurbishing their bathroom they are now looking to install bathroom products which are super eco-efficient to try to reduce their ever-rising utility bills. They are increasingly using the WEPLS as the database of eco-friendly bathroom products.
The voluntary scheme, free from government interference, is web based and easily accessible and easy to use by both consumers and industry professionals.
Around 1000 water saving products are listed in the scheme which covers categories such as WCs, showers, taps and recycling products, amongst others.
Users of the website at www.water-efficiencylabel.org.uk can look for their dream bathroom, create a shopping list and then search for their local stockist, on line. They are helped with the on-line water calculator at:
Members of the BMA want to do their bit for the water crisis and their products listed in WEPLS are beginning to have an effect.
T: 01782 747123
W: www.bathroom-association.org
8th October 2010