19 May 2026
Black, recycled, no compromises: CWS Hygiene brings design and circularity together
Matte black in the washroom: an interior trend reaches the hygiene world
Black dispensers for soap, paper towels and disinfectant are not a short-lived trend. At CWS Hygiene, there had been demand for them for some time—from upscale hotels and restaurants, but increasingly also for washrooms in modern office buildings. Customers there no longer rely solely on white or silver sanitary products. Instead, the interior trend from private spaces is increasingly carrying over into the professional hygiene world in public buildings and commercial real estate.
For Haniel’s portfolio company CWS Hygiene, a leading partner for sustainable and efficient washroom solutions, one thing was clear: if black was the direction, they wanted to do it properly. “We didn’t want to design just a single panel or a dark accent—we wanted to develop a completely black device,” says Christoph Schmidt, Head of Product Portfolio & Innovation. “And we also wanted black to tie in with our strategic focus on circularity, especially the reuse of valuable raw materials.”
Recycled plastic instead of biochar? How CWS Hygiene found the right material
At the beginning of the development process were an ambitious goal and the difficult search for suitable materials and production partners. For a while, CWS Hygiene even tested biochar. The logic behind it: plants remove CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow. If that material is then permanently bound, the result could theoretically be a very favorable environmental footprint—ideally even climate-positive. In practice, however, the material did not meet the PureLine’s performance requirements. And with common sustainability standards also in mind, Christoph Schmidt’s team decided to return to a parallel path: consistent recycling instead of CO2 neutrality at any price. “In the end, with up to 98% recycled plastic, we came very close to the maximum anyway.”
Black, the perfect color for recycled material
Why do black color and recycled material go so well together? Because materials recovered from products of all original colours can be stably dyed black. Any irregularities that would quickly show on light-colored surfaces are concealed.
That still doesn’t make the development of a complete recycled product line easy. “We have a range of requirements for our manufacturing partners—for example, we want our own injection molds to be usable for both virgin plastics and recycled plastics,” says Schmidt. "On top of that, the material has to meet the standards of a premium dispenser line, particularly in terms of durability, but also when it comes to look and feel."
A particular plastic soon took center stage in development, one that has to withstand a great deal in everyday use: ABS (short for acrylonitrile butadiene styrene). It is used wherever long service life, dimensional stability and robustness are required—for example in household appliances or the automotive industry. For CWS Hygiene’s EcoBlack products, the ABS comes primarily from a recycling stream of waste electrical and electronic equipment. "You really have to search hard to find someone who can supply the plastic in the quality our products require," says the Head of Product Portfolio & Innovation. The market is growing, but sourcing cannot be directly compared with virgin plastic.
From the lab to everyday use: how EcoBlack passed its real-world test
Bringing the EcoBlack series to market readiness involved an iterative process: an interplay of laboratory and practical testing. This included field tests with customers in real operating environments, stress tests on rigs with robots pressing buttons thousands of times or pulling on towel rolls, and material tests for deformation and fracture resistance. The simple question behind all of it: when does a component give way, and how much everyday wear can it take? Appearance and ease of use also had to be right.
The fact that sustainability is currently being discussed less loudly in some circles than it was a few years ago changed nothing about the team's ambitions, according to Christoph Schmidt. “The goal was a product that convinces even when sustainability is not the primary purchasing argument.” No compromises on performance or design.
“Black is sustainable” – the market launch at CMS Berlin
CWS Hygiene made a deliberate choice about where to launch: at CMS in Berlin, the trade fair where building service providers, facility managers, and other decision-makers come to get informed. There, the marketing team placed a large black container in front of the main entrance, bearing the message “Black is sustainable.” Inside: plastic granulates and an exclusive preview of the new product range—dispensers for towel rolls, soap, disinfectant and toilet paper, as well as the Airbar, an innovative and minimalist fragrance dispenser.
Christoph Schmidt notes that the response in the first months after the launch came in well above expectations, including new business opportunities that emerged from trade fair contacts. And when it comes to competition, the head of product development sees clear differentiation. There are now quite a few black dispensers on the market, and some individual recycled dispensers as well. “But not with the consistency with which we keep resources in the cycle through our service model.” The combination with particularly sustainable consumables is equally unique in this form—from cotton towel rolls that can be reused more than 100 times to papers and soaps with the highest Cradle to Cradle certifications.
Style meets real-world practicality: EcoBlack at the Valencia tapas restaurant
A hospitality example shows how the new product series is received in everyday use: the Valencia tapas restaurant in Neu-Isenburg near Frankfurt uses dispensers from the PureLine EcoBlack series in its washrooms and bar area. Design that matches the upscale ambience, and a robust system for continuous use across many shifts—these are decisive factors in day-to-day operations, says restaurant manager Ilgar Oguz. It was this combination of aesthetic and functional demands that led the owners of the Spanish restaurant to CWS Hygiene's product range and service.
EcoBlack extends the established circular model
The foundation of the circular approach is the service model that has been established for decades. Most customers rent CWS Hygiene products instead of buying them. The Haniel portfolio company then delivers the suitable hygiene items at the agreed intervals, launders and returns durable towel rolls and floor mats, and repairs or replaces products at the first signs of wear or damage. This is complemented by a comprehensive range of eco-friendly consumables that can also be combined with the new PureLine EcoBlack. These include, for example, a Cradle-to-Cradle-certified foam soap, Cradle-to-Cradle- and FSC-certified paper made from old cardboard, and the iconic cotton towel roll.
“With EcoBlack, we have added another layer to our circular approach,” Christoph Schmidt concludes. "Recycling and reprocessing now takes place not only in our service model and many of our consumables, but for the first time also in the manufacturing of a dispenser product line." For CWS Hygiene, the successful development project is less a finish line than a learning ground: what works in terms of material, tools, production processes and partners—and what can be transferred to other materials, colors and product lines? The plan is clear: the share of recycled material is to increase gradually in further dispenser lines as well. EcoBlack provides the blueprint.
