Lowe's Companies, Inc.

Lowe's Companies, Inc. is a U.S.-based home improvement retailer headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina. The company sells building materials, appliances, tools, flooring, kitchen and bath products, outdoor goods, and home improvement services. Water conservation is relevant to Lowe's because it affects both the company's operational water use and the efficiency of the products it offers customers.

One of Lowe's strategies is to develop products that reduce water consumption. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency certifies its WaterSense-labeled products as using at least 20% less water than comparable products without compromising performance. In 2024, Lowe's offered 11,100 WaterSense products in stores and online. Customers who purchased these products are expected to save an estimated $9.8 billion on water bills and 856 billion gallons of water over the products' lifetimes. This is a slight increase from 853 billion gallons in 2023, though it remains below the 1 trillion gallons reported in 2022. Also, Lowe's reports that WaterSense product sales have saved customers $41.2 billion and 3.6 trillion gallons of water. In its Kitchens & Bath program, all new eligible private-brand kitchen and bath products added since 2022 have been WaterSense-labeled. The number of eligible products added increased from 40 in 2022 to 65 in 2023 and 122 in 2024.

One limitation is that Lowe's provides way more detail on customer water savings than on its own water management. Although the company reports total water usage, it does not disclose water intensity or exposure to water-stressed regions. Also, Lowe's received a C on the CDP Water Security score in both 2023 and 2024, down from a B in 2022. This suggests that its own water management practices and reporting remain less developed compared to its product designs.