The Future of Plumbing Fixtures and Fittings

By Kerry Stackpole, FASAE, CAE, PMI CEO/Executive Director

How often do you use the blank sheet of paper approach to reimagining the future of plumbing fixtures and fittings? I don’t mean only slapping on some tech for the sake of it but really pushing the boundaries of where our world needs to go.

We can all agree global pressure on freshwater resources demands smarter management. Our aging infrastructure largely relies on 19th-20th century designs in a 21st century world. The health and hygiene benefits our industry readily provides every day are a modern marvel. COVID accelerated awareness about pathogen transmission and made handwashing and antimicrobial awareness meaningful activities with plumbing fixtures and fittings on the frontline.

Still, misunderstandings about how plumbing systems work and the extraordinary risks associated with using them incorrectly abound. People expect their environments to adapt to them, not the other way around. They look to industry to deliver solutions to a host of challenges arising in modern and smart living environments. They also expect manufacturers to focus on producing less waste and less water loss in manufacturing, and having recycling built into systems in both water and the physical world.

Let’s reimagine how to repair leaks, recycle water and more

In re-imagining the world of water, there are a vast array of options to choose from in the decades ahead. Water main breaks and leaks waste between 30-50% of treated water. The World Bank estimates globally around 32 billion cubic meters of treated water is lost annually. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 6 billion gallons of treated water are lost every single day to leaks—that's roughly 2.1 trillion gallons per year. Perhaps self-healing materials for pipes and fittings would be a worthy effort. Imagine micro-crack and corrosion detection with self-sealing polymer linings that react to damage before leaks even begin.

We know closed-loop greywater systems are the future. We are going to need faucets, showers, and laundry units that automatically purify and re-feed greywater to appropriate uses without huge retrofits. Would nano-membrane filtration embedded directly into fittings with modular plug-and-play cartridges do the job?

KBIS 2025 showcased the emergence of adaptive flow fittings for faucets, showerheads and taps that dynamically adjust flow rate, spray type, and temperature according to the application at hand—washing vegetables versus washing hands, for instance. The addition of AI to hygiene routines could create "shower signatures" and anticipate preferred pressure and temperature, and cycle automatically. The addition of timed visual cues, such as green to red LEDs on showerheads, illuminating the end to a blissful, spa-like experience could also be a plus.

Have you ever wondered why plumbing pipes are not made of transparent materials? Those of us in the industry have some idea why that might be awful. But wait, what if pipes and key fittings were partially transparent or equipped with embedded sensors to show you flow rates, blockages, or water quality in real time—like a visual health tracker for your plumbing that could be integrated within your home dashboard apps?

Moving water can produce renewable energy

The water-energy nexus is the idea that water and energy are deeply interconnected—you can’t use one without relying heavily on the other. What if drain systems embedded with tiny turbines could generate energy from the movement of water and waste?

Municipal wastewater plants are working to become green factories. East Bay Municipal Utility District in California became the first wastewater treatment plant in North America to make its wastewater plant energy self-sufficient. Biodegradable sewage waste, food scraps and grease from local restaurants, and waste streams from wineries and poultry farms are mixed in large tanks and “digested” by microorganisms. The biogas emitted by the microorganisms is captured and used to generate renewable energy to power the wastewater treatment plant.

The plumbing fixtures and fittings world can evolve beyond necessity to desire—making water systems smarter, healthier, more sustainable, and almost alive in how they adapt and protect. The next decade will be about building delight into the delivery of water, not only delivering it.