Kohler Makes Sustainability Strides with WasteLAB

Through its innovative WasteLAB portfolio, Wisconsin-based kitchen and bathroom products manufacturer Kohler is transforming manufacturing waste into luxury products, transforming manufacturing byproducts into high-end tiles and other product categories made with up to 99% recycled content.

The details: Launched in 2014, WasteLAB began as a brainstorming session on how to tackle manufacturing waste. What followed was a five-year effort to develop, experiment with and test materials that could be transformed into new products.

• Today, the portfolio includes handcrafted tiles, sinks and planters, demonstrating how innovative thinking can turn manufacturing byproducts into valuable products.

American footprint: With a 153-year history of U.S. manufacturing, Kohler is demonstrating how investments in innovation and its workforce can strengthen manufacturing in America.

• The company’s WasteLAB pottery operation employs eight associates whose craftsmanship helps bring these innovative products to life.
• Kohler’s commitment to regional manufacturing strategy and developing talent from within underscores the importance of investing in the skilled workforce that powers operations.

Workforce impact: For Kohler, innovation starts on the shop floor.

• At more than 45 manufacturing locations and dozens of offices worldwide, the company encourages its nearly 30,000 associates to identify new ways to reduce waste, conserve water and solve challenges on the shop floor.
• Kohler also prioritizes career development and advancement from within, and WasteLAB has scaled up by bringing in Kohler associates. One associate, who started as a volunteer and became an expert at her trade, now works full-time on the team helping to amplify WasteLAB’s impact.

Building resilience: In 2025, WasteLAB diverted 14.86 metric tons of waste from landfills, according to Kohler’s impact report. In 2025 alone, the company’s WaterSense labeled products have:

• Saved 104 billion gallons of water.
• Avoided 2.37 million metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions associated with water use.
• Saved customers $1.65 billion in energy and water utility bill costs.

The big picture: From transforming discarded materials into luxury products to investing in the next generation of skilled workers, Kohler is showing how America’s manufacturers can drive innovation, strengthen their workforce and advance sustainability—all at the same time.