K&B Pros Will Play a Critical Role in Accelerating Consumers’ Embrace of Sustainable Practices
By NKBA | KBIS Editorial Staff
New insights presented in NKBA’s 2024 Sustainability in Kitchen & Bath Design report from its survey of more than 300 industry professionals indicate an important shift that is happening slowly, but steadily, and will fundamentally change the K&B industry: the mainstreaming of practical and appealing sustainable design practices.
While sustainability has been slower to take root in residential construction and design, the opportunity for future growth is undeniable. There is consensus about the importance of sustainable design practices among industry pros and consumers alike. However, there is still considerable work to be done to further educate and inspire enthusiasm among both groups about the many tangible benefits of sustainability.
Here are some highlights of the 2024 Sustainability in Kitchen & Bath Design report:
Where It Starts: Educating K&B Pros
Only slightly more than half (51%) of surveyed industry pros said that sustainability is extremely or very important to them, professionally. The surveyed professionals shared that they don’t consider themselves especially well-informed on the subject. Just under half (45%) consider themselves very or extremely familiar with the concept of sustainable design, and 60% say that there simply isn’t enough information available about sustainable K&B design, which makes it difficult to pass the necessary knowledge along to their clients.
Overcoming Barriers to Adoption
Design professionals cited five significant barriers to further integrating sustainability into their designs. Homeowner buy-in (64%) was most frequently cited, followed by expense — the need for more affordable sustainable solutions (54%). Many also pointed to a lack of attractive sustainable solutions (44%) and the long payback period for sustainable practices (27%) as sources of lingering skepticism about the benefits of sustainable design.
Driving Increased Demand
Sustainable design is being integrated, but it’s happening slowly. Almost half (48%) of surveyed design pros say they are integrating sustainable solutions into their designs somewhat more than just two years ago, while ten percent are doing so much more compared to two years ago.
Responses from the surveyed professionals point to some key areas that are already resonating with homeowners, notably recommendations about sustainable products that will improve the health and well-being of their family (42%). Energy savings ranks a distant second (22%).
A Bright Outlook
Demand for sustainability in kitchen and bath design is expected to grow in the next two years. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents say demand for sustainability in Kitchen Design will increase in the next two years; nearly as many (70%) said the same about Bath Design. Just one-third (32%) of designers feel sustainable design is a “must have,” however, most (54%) expect that sentiment to shift in the coming years.
“There is no doubt that we are moving towards a new era when sustainable design practices will eventually become the norm for the K&B industry,” said Bill Darcy, Global President & CEO of NKBA | KBIS. “Designers and other industry pros, armed with information and insights about the many benefits of a sustainable design approach, are going to be the drivers of this change. The sooner we can bring K&B professionals fully up to speed on these benefits, the sooner they can effectively influence customers to embrace sustainable practices that are better for the planet, without sacrificing on quality or aesthetics.”
Download and read the full 2024 Sustainability in Kitchen & Bath Design report here.
