Position in 2008: 1
Number one in 2008, the environment slips to number five as the industry inevitably decides it has bigger fish to fry...
In 2008, we chose the environment as the biggest issue facing the industry. Our reasoning was that as a long-term trend it would have by far the biggest impact on product development and legislation for decades to come.
Sooner or later, every kitchen or bathroom you sell and every product you use will have to have some kind of environmentally friendly aspect to it - from the amount of power or water it uses, down to how it's made and what it's made from.
So have we changed our minds?
All of this is as true now as it was in 2008. We believe that how the kitchens and bathrooms you sell affect the environment will shape this industry for generations.
But right now, in 2010, how many people are looking that far ahead?
Right up until the sudden downturn took hold, all the talk was of 'green' products and designs. The moment where moral arguments become true mass-market, commercial selling points was just around the corner. Consumers were embracing recycling, long-life light-bulbs and turning off the TV rather than putting it on standby.
But it never quite happened in time for the kitchen and bathroom industry. The consumer still had loads of money, and they wanted to spend it on showers that drenched them in water from a dozen jets and on must-have kitchen appliances that they'd never needed before such as extractor hoods, side-by-side fridges and range cookers.
The message was sneaking through though, water meters were putting a price on using that big bath and likewise legislation putting energy ratings on appliances was doing the same in the kitchen.
But then the credit crunch happened and the commercial world changed. The BMA Conference in 2008 had a 'green' theme, but it came along just a month after the collapse of Lehman Brothers bank. One senior director at a major manufacturer summed it up when he said, "who cares about the environment right now, I just want to stay in business".
But despite this short-term view, the environment is still a significant business issue - if only because the law will force things that way.
The legislation that will govern the way products are designed, made, distributed and installed has not gone away. While it often ends up being implemented in a haphazard way, the WEEE Directive on the disposal of electrical goods is a good example, the law is the law and anyone affected must comply as best they can.
The next big move will hopefully come in April, when the delayed Part G of the building regulations will finally come into force. This governs the amount of water that can be used in new-build properties and there is every possibility that it will eventually filter down in some form to all dwellings.
Looking after the environment may not be a commercial trend driven by consumers right now, but it's only a blip in an inevitable and unstoppable movement towards a greener future that we all must accept eventually.
