5 Company | Foreword by the Management Board 5 Dear friends of Duravit, The Duravit Group once again found itself up against a highly challenging global market environment in financial year 2023. Total global sales achieved were down year on year, albeit the previous year was a year of strong growth. We were pleased to be able to gain market share over our competitors. This accomplishment was due entirely to our employees, and we are profoundly grateful to them for their hard work through- out this challenging year. At the same time, we are continuing with our investment strategy and are staying true to our ambitious target of being climate-neutral by 2045. Our production facility at the new site in Matane/Canada will play a key role in achieving this objective. The foundation stone for this new facility was laid in July 2023 and marked one of the highlights of the previous year. We are planning to start production of large sanitary ceramic items for the North American market in 2025. The issue of sustainability is one of our five strategic pillars. This is one of our focal areas of activity alongside the topics of “Customer & Brand”, “Digitalization”, “Employees & Organization” and “Supply Chain”. After all, we operate in an energy-intensive sector, which makes us especially responsible for handling resources properly and protecting the environment. For us, the new facility in Canada is a decisive step in the direction of climate-neutral manufacturing operations. With the electric kiln powered by hydroelectric energy, we are tackling the root cause of carbon emissions that arise during firing, a process that historically was typically powered by gas. As we see it, this project is a true game-changer for our sector. Our employees are essential to our company’s success. As a future-oriented family company with global operations, a further acknowledgement of the significance of our work - force was the creation of a dedicated executive portfolio for Personnel & Organizational Development at the start of 2024. We will continue to work together toward a successful future. Stephan Tahy Chief Executive Officer GRI 2-22 | GRI 2-23 Thomas Stammel Chief Operating Officer Martin Winkle Chief Financial Officer Ingmar Irle Chief People Officer
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