American Standard Brands Named 2012 WaterSense Partner of the Year

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (October 4, 2012) — American Standard Brands has been honored with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) 2012 WaterSense Manufacturer Partner of the Year Award in recognition of the company’s water-saving technological advances and ongoing efforts to raise awareness about water conservation.

The WaterSense program, sponsored by the EPA, encourages consumers to reduce their water usage through water saving products and services, as well as by making simple changes in behavior to help conserve water. The WaterSense Partner of the Year awards recognize organizations that are on the cutting edge of water efficiency innovation, collaboration and outreach.

“American Standard Brands is privileged to be recognized by the EPA as its 2012 WaterSense Partner of the Year for the pioneering product solutions, technical leadership and outstanding performance that have been part of our company’s heritage for over 140 years,” said Jay Gould, president and CEO of American Standard Brands.

American Standard is being awarded a 2012 Manufacturer Partner of the Year distinction, in part, for developing a WaterSense-labeled toilet that can be installed without tools, making it easier than ever for homeowners to upgrade to a water-saving toilet. This SAVER™ high efficiency toilet (HET) — using only 1.28 gallons per flush and meeting stringent WaterSense certification requirements for water savings — is designed to be installed with simple hand tightening, no tools needed. Offered in both 2-piece and 1-piece models, the SAVER offers the comfortable Right Height® bowl configuration that meets all ADA requirements for accessibility.

The company also demonstrated a strong commitment to water conservation by organizing the Responsible Bathroom Tour, a mobile plumbing showroom that visited more than 100 locations nationwide in 2011, presenting water conserving products and strategies. This walk-through plumbing showroom provided hands-on demonstrations of WaterSense certified toilets, faucets and showerheads to over 26,000 people across the U.S. Additionally, the tour partnered with numerous water utility companies, reaching approximately 5.8 million residential water customers with rebate incentive information to replace older water-guzzling toilets with HET models.

As part of its water conservation educational efforts, American Standard produced a “Professor Toilet” blog that serves both the professional and residential customer audiences, sharing useful information about plumbing products, conserving water, remodeling homes and a myriad of helpful topics. Delivered in a humor, light-hearted manner, the Professor’s blog posts helped to educate the public, and entertain at the same time.

“WaterSense is proud to partner with these champions of water efficiency who share our mission to protect the future of our nation’s water supply,” said Nancy Stoner, EPA’s Acting Assistant Administrator for Water. “The 2012 WaterSense Partners of the Year were exceptional in their efforts to support innovative approaches to help people and companies save water and money on utility bills nationwide.”

The WaterSense Partners of the Year awards were launched in 2008 to recognize excellence in the field of water conservation and the special efforts of WaterSense partners to advance the program’s mission. WaterSense-labeled products have helped Americans save 287 billion gallons of water and $4.7 billion in water and energy bills since the WaterSense program’s inception in 2006.

“We aim to raise the industry standard in developing water saving innovations that resolve everyday problems while exceeding the performance needs of our customers. We’re pleased to help spread the WaterSense conservation message that each and every person can make a difference in protecting the earth’s most valuable resource — water,” concluded Gould.

For more information on WaterSense-certified American Standard products, visit www.americanstandard.com or call (800) 899-2614.

ABOUT AMERICAN STANDARD BRANDS

American Standard Brands is a leading North American manufacturer of a wide range of high-quality building products, including faucets, fixtures, furniture, vitreous china fixtures, cast iron sinks, whirlpool tubs and other wellness products for the bath and kitchen as well as decorative panels. The company currently offers total project solutions for residential and commercial customers; employs more than 5,000 people in the United States, Canada and Mexico; and markets products under well known and respected brands, such as American Standard®, Jado®, Porcher®, Safety Tubs®, Crane Plumbing®, Eljer®, Fiat® and Decorative Panels International®. American Standard Brands is an affiliated portfolio company of Sun Capital Partners. The company is online at www.americanstandard.com, on Twitter at twitter.com/AMStandard and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AmericanStandardPlumbing.

ABOUT THE EPA’S WATERSENSE PROGRAM

WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by EPA, seeks to protect the future of our nation's water supply by offering people a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, new homes, and services. Since the program's inception in 2006, WaterSense has helped consumers save 287 billion gallons of water and $4.7 billion in water and energy bills. To learn more about 2012 WaterSense Partners of the Year and Excellence Award winners, visit www.epa.gov/watersense.

WaterSense® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

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