PRESS RELEASE: Ever thought your paintbrush rinse could end up in a fish’s living room? Sink better.

What if the humble sink could help save the ocean?

That’s the idea behind the Green Sink Initiative, unveiled at Climate Week NYC by cleantech company Washbox with bold commitments to the Clinton Foundation, and officially launched today with an exclusive CIOB CPD to help construction professionals manage liquid waste.

The campaign shines a light on an invisible but enormous problem: the millions of litres of polluted washwater from construction sites that end up in drains every single day, carrying PFAS “forever chemicals,” plastics, and fine solids straight into rivers and oceans.

It’s not a headline-grabbing issue. Yet it’s everywhere. And until now, it’s gone unchecked.

Four Pillars of Action – The Green Sink Initiative makes this hidden problem impossible to ignore by combining:
Awareness | showing the link between sinks, drains, and ocean pollution.
Education | partnering with the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) to deliver the first-ever global training course on construction wastewater and legislation, reaching 60,000 professionals in 100 countries.
Solutions | Washbox’s award-winning closed-loop “Green Sink” wash stations for construction and maintenance, with new products in development for DIY enthusiasts and households.
Compliance | working with universities, policymakers, and industry bodies to make liquid waste mismanagement a thing of the past.

“Pollution from construction washwater doesn’t just vanish down the drain — it flows to the ocean,” said Andrew Crimston, Founder of Washbox.
“With the Green Sink Initiative, we’re making it easy for everyone, from contractors to DIYers, to do the right thing. Because when a better way exists, people change.”

At Climate Week, Washbox also announced its Clinton Global Initiative Commitment:
Eliminate 50 million litres of construction washwater pollution over the next five years.
Train 100,000 construction professionals in sustainable liquid waste management.

The Initiative is recognised as part of the United Nations Ocean Decade, supported by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and backed by research partnerships with Western Sydney and Deakin Universities.
Why a Sink?
Because wastewater treatment plants don’t stop this type of pollution. What goes down the drain almost always makes its way to the ocean. By rethinking something as small as a sink, Washbox is helping protect something as vast as the sea.

About Washbox
Founded in 2006, Washbox is the world’s first closed-loop wash station for construction. Its technology recycles water, captures solids, and prevents toxic discharge while saving time and money on site. Operating in Australia, New Zealand, the US, and the UK, Washbox is a UN Ocean Decade project and a multiple award-winner, including the World Economic Forum’s Urban Sustainability Challenge and the UK Waste & Recycling Innovation Award.

About the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI)
Founded by President Bill Clinton in 2005, the Clinton Global Initiative is a community of doers representing a broad cross section of society and dedicated to the idea that we can accomplish more together than we can apart. Through CGI’s unique model, more than 10,000 organizations have launched more than 4,000 Commitments to Action — new, specific, and measurable projects and programs – that are making a difference in the lives of more than 500 million people in 180 countries.


Launch video:

Website:
https://www.washbox.global/

www.greensinkinitiative.com

CIOB Course – CPD Module:
https://www.ciobacademy.org/product/managing-water-use-and-liquid-waste-during-construction-for-efficiency-and-sustanability/