Water Sustainability

Our Approach

Due to the increasing global population among other factors, total household use of water has increased six-fold since 1960. ^*1 In 2022, 2.2 billion people did not have access to safely managed drinking water, ^*2 and an estimated 5 billion people will face water shortages globally by 2050.^*3

In order to realize the circular economy set forth in LIXIL’s Environmental Vision 2050, we have designated water sustainability as one of our focus areas and have included it as one of our material issues. As a leading company in water technology, we are advancing efforts towards global water sustainability today and for generations to come, so everyone can fully enjoy the benefits of bountiful water - from actively pursuing the responsible use of water in our business processes, to providing safer and better-tasting water.

To achieve our goals, we are taking a comprehensive strategic approach and pursuing mid-term targets through all of the three phases: Our Operations, Our Value Chain, and Expanding Our Impact. Going beyond simply fulfilling our corporate responsibility to minimize the environmental burden of our business and products, we aim to create new value in the environmental field together with all stakeholders in order to have an even greater positive impact on the global environment and society.

Defining Our Strategic Approach and Mid-Term Targets

Defining Our Strategic Approach and Medium-Term Targets

*1 World Resource Institute (A new page will open) >
*2 “Progress on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022” by UNICEF and WHO's Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (A new page will open) >
*3 “2021 State of Climate Services: Water ”by WMO (A new page will open) >

Our Operations

We promote responsible water use in our operations globally, and has set targets to improve water use efficiency (water intake/production output) by 20% at our business sites by FYE2031 (vs. FYE2019). In FYE2024, we increased our water use efficiency across the company by 23.6%. We work to identify related business risks in each region in sites that use water for manufacturing to take appropriate steps to recycle and manage wastewater, particularly at sites that suffer from water shortages, in efforts to improve efficiency and reduce usage.

Improving Water Use Efficiency

We are advancing efforts for the utilization of recycled water in order to effectively use this resource. In FYE2024, we used approximately 640,000 m³ of recycled water. We also reduced water consumption at our plants through initiatives such as discontinuing water sprays for cooling roofs by applying thermal insulation coating to rooftops, and upgrading toilets with better water-saving performance. At our plants in the Asian and North American water-stressed regions, we are implementing more progressive initiatives to increase the use of recycled water and reduce water consumption.

Increase in efficient water use at our business sites (vs. FYE2019)

Managing Wastewater

LIXIL's plants have established legal standards or stricter voluntary standards in each country to conserve water sources in their catchments, and to carry out thorough wastewater management. Wastewater containing chemical substances is strictly controlled, and purified through membrane filtration and biological treatment at the wastewater treatment plant to a level well below the standard values. In addition to the daily monitoring performed by each plant, LIXIL conducts third-party inspections to confirm water quality standards.

Initiatives at Sites with Water Risks

Water Risk Assessment Process

To better understand local conditions and introduce appropriate measures to address the problem of increasingly scarce global water resources, LIXIL started conducting surveys in FYE2017 to identify water risks at 83 production sites that use water in their manufacturing processes. Our risk assessment process starts with creating a geographical risk profile using the international WWF Water Risk Filter assessment tool. We then conduct surveys of sites that are revealed to be high-risk. This approach enables us to perform comprehensive water risk assessments.

In addition, we have been participating in the Corporate Engagement Program run by the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN) since FYE2023 and have been contributing to the establishment of guidelines related to water risk assessment at SBTN. In FYE2024, we assessed water quality risks in addition to water shortage risks in preparation for our TNFD disclosure. These enhancements demonstrate that we regularly update our analysis to strengthen measures in reducing water risks, and implementing plans and remedies for each site.

At our factory in Thailand, where the risk of water shortages is high, we adopted a water circulation system for recycling rainwater and factory wastewater. We continually optimize our water consumption at our sites and reduced our annual industrial water usage by approximately 72,700 m³ in FYE2024 (vs. FYE2023).

Percentage of Production Sites by Water Risk Level* (As of March 2024)

Percentage of Water Intake by Water Risk Level* (As of March 2024)

Our Value Chain

LIXIL has set a target to contribute to a global reduction of two billion m³ per year in water consumption by FYE2025 through various products and services such as water-saving faucets and water-saving toilets. We help end-users reduce water consumption through our products and services, and prevent water leakages with our IoT-enabled smart controllers.

・SATIS (INAX brand)

Compared to conventional toilets that use eight liters for each long flush, the SATIS brand can help save up to 49%^* of water. SATIS achieves significant water savings while delivering strong cleaning performance with AQUA CERAMIC - a sanitaryware material that repels waste, making day-to-day cleaning easier, and keeps it sparkling like new for 100 years.^*

* Please refer to the product website for more details on the product’s features (Japanese only, a new page will open) >
Water-saving toilets (Japanese only, a new page will open) >

SATIS (INAX brand)AQUA CERAMIC

・Studio S (American Standard brand)

Meeting the strict criteria for water-saving standards established by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense governmental program, Studio S can save over 20% more water than the standard criteria. The American Standard brand also provides products that meet the California Green Building Standards (CALGreen), which mandates the conservation of water. In addition, the bowl height of these toilets conforms to the accessibility height guidelines outlined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

American Standard water-saving toilet (A new page will open) >

Studio S Low-Profile Toilet

・Everstream (GROHE brand)

Using a shower system that recycles water makes it possible to cut water use by a maximum of 75%, reduce the energy used to heat the water by up to 65%, and also eliminate CO₂ emissions by up to 70%. LIXIL’s GROHE has set the ambitious goal of making all of its concealed shower systems recycling-enabled by 2030, and announced this product as its first offering in FYE2023. The product became available among select partners in summer of 2024.

GROHE Everstream (A new page will open) >
Water-recycling shower system (A new page will open) >

GROHE Everstream

・Suru (GROHE brand)

This smart remote-control device links together with a smartphone app to notify users of a leaking pipe or other related problems and turn off the water supply to help prevent issues in the home, which in turn helps reduce water usage.

Suru (A new page will open) >

Expanding Our Impact

LIXIL is working to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination by increasing access to safely managed sanitation services and safer water. We strive to ensure water sustainability by introducing water purification faucets and cartridges in areas with access to tap water to provide safer and better-tasting water.

LIXIL Public Partners (LPP) Water and Sanitation Initiatives

Our new LIXIL Public Partners (LPP) is an organization that seeks to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors in water, sanitation, and hygiene. LPP is currently conducting trials to introduce wastewater treatment facilities and water-efficient fixtures and fittings in rural areas of the US without access to public sewage systems. Through these trials, we are working to reduce the risk of groundwater contamination by increasing access to safely managed sanitation services and safer water, while accelerating the expansion of the public-private partnership model globally in the future.

LIXIL Public Partners (LPP) >

Purification Technology to Provide Safer, Better-Tasting Drinking Water

As one of the few companies in the world with its own proprietary faucet and water purification technologies, we have developed a compact and highly effective filter for faucet-integrated water purifiers and other high-performance products, and have established a competitive advantage in the market. We are pressing ahead with our efforts to develop standout water-purifying products for global deployment by developing more advanced technologies that are tailored to individual markets at our X-Water Fab Tokoname (Tokoname, Aichi) and X-Water Lab Tokyo (Tokyo) water-purification research and development sites in Japan and other bases around the world.

・Saybrook Filtered Kitchen Faucet (American Standard brand)

Equipped with high-grade filtration technology, this product can remove impurities such as lead, chlorine, and small particles in tap water to provide safer and better-tasting drinking water. It comes with a small, innovatively designed filter that can be installed for easy access above deck at countertop level or below deck on the inside wall of the cabinet. Easy access to cleaner water helps avoid plastic water bottle usage and home water delivery, helping to reduce the environmental footprint.

Saybrook Faucet (A new page will open) >

Saybrook Faucet

・GROHE Blue (GROHE brand)

A household water system that can dispense chilled or carbonated water from the kitchen faucet that can chill room-temperature water to a desired temperature. Given that as much as seven liters of water is required to produce a single liter of bottled drinking water, GROHE Blue helps reduce the use of water resources. In addition, compared to bottled drinking water, the system also helps cut up to 61% of annual CO₂ emissions^* generated in the manufacturing and shipment of plastic bottles, while helping to reduce plastic waste.

* Please refer to the product website for more details on the product’s features (A new page will open) >

GROHE Blue

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