Kingfisher Green Star Kitchen Products User Manual

Kingfisher Green Star Kitchen Products

What it means to choose a green star product

Products marked with the green star are designed to help customers identify items within our ranges with a focus on reducing environmental impacts. Customers can use the information provided to filter and understand more about the products they’re interested in or have purchased.

Why choosing efficient kitchen products matters

The Energy Saving Trust estimates that kitchens use 22% of a household’s water. Using kitchen taps for preparing food and cleaning uses water. When using hot water, it’s also using energy, so choosing energy-efficient taps can help to manage energy bills.
Kitchen appliances, such as dishwashers and washing machines, feature an energy label with information on the appliance’s water use.

Dripping taps can also waste a surprisingly large amount of water. Waterwise has found that a single dripping tap could waste 5,500 litres of water per year. For hot water taps, this could also mean wasted energy. Fixing a tap can be as simple as replacing the tap washer or gland.

How we use water in the kitchen can also help manage water use, for example:

• Repairing leaks and drips as soon as possible
• Waiting for a full load before setting washing machines and dishwashers running.
• Using a plug or washing up bowl when washing up
• Using a washing up bowl when preparing vegetables, emptying the water into the garden afterwards (and composting any peelings)

For drinking water, avoid using bottled water and opt for tap water instead. Bottled water costs considerably more and plastic bottles can have additional problems relating to waste and pollution.

Criteria 1: How we assess green star products

Before assessment, every green star product must meet:

• All relevant legal requirements
• All Kingfisher policy requirements

You can access the Kingfisher policies here. These include Human Rights, Supply Chain Workplace Standards and Sustainable Packaging.

Products are also checked against a Watch List. The watch list contains several criteria or features, relevant to the product type, that if present disqualify the product from being marked with a green star. The relevant Watch List can be found at the end of this factsheet. The Watch List is reviewed and revised annually.

Life cycle assessments have not been completed for every green star product, but by employing policies and the Watch List Criteria in Kingfisher’s Sustainable Home Product Guidelines, many factors in the life cycle of a product are considered.

The green star ‘Saving water at home – in the kitchen’ assessment focuses on the in-use phase of the product’s life cycle. This is where the product can bring the biggest benefit to the user across its utilisation, however green star excludes products that may have other environmental aspects that are harmful either as a result of manufacture or end of life disposal.

Criteria 2: Green star programme entry

The criteria for ‘Saving water at home – in the kitchen’ is

Kitchen taps:

• Flow rate of 6 litres per minute or less at 3 bar pressure – this flow rate has been identified by the Unified Water Label as its lower ‘green’ band.
  • If a tap has a water break (allowing a lower flow rinse mode and higher flow fill mode), the rinse mode should be 6 litres or less at 3 bar pressure and the fill mode (beyond the water break) should be 8 litres or less at 3 bar pressure.
• Please note, there is also related criteria in the green star ‘Heating at home’ factsheet for ‘cold start’ taps.

Fixing drips and leaks:

• Tools and equipment for repairing dripping taps:
  • Tap reseating tools
  • Tap washers
  • Replacement ceramic glands.
    Please note, there is also related criteria in the green star ‘Kitchen appliances’ factsheet for dishwashers and washing machines.

Providing Criteria 1 and 2 have been met, a product can marked with the green star.

Reviewing and confirming green star status

All products nominated and that meet criteria 1 and 2 are assessed internally by our sustainability team and submitted to NGO Bioregional for external validation.
Once the external review is conducted, the product can then be confirmed and marked with the green star.
A full review is conducted annually to ensure all products continue to meet the selection criteria.

To find out more about NGO Bioregional, click here

Watch List Criteria relevant to saving water in the bathroom

This criteria lists features of products that make them unsuitable for green star assessment:

Kitchen taps with a flow rate of more than 8 litres per minute at 3 bar pressure.
Products containing palm oil, cotton, rubber or leather with no evidence that the materials have been responsibly sourced.
Recycled plastic products where the source of the plastic is unknown and/or cannot be confirmed as being safe.
Products containing any wood or paper that does not meet Kingfisher’s Forest Positive Policy.
Products where the packaging contains PVC or expanded polystyrene.

Guiding you to help reduce the environmental impact of home improvement

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