Daphne Doody-Green – The Bathroom Association's priorities for the year ahead

Daphne Doody-Green, CEO of the Bathroom Association, reveals how the Association will set about uniting the industry’s voice this year.

The bathroom market has had its fair share of uncertainty. After the post-COVID surge came the long drag: cautious consumers, squeezed budgets, and a crowded fight for discretionary spend. When demand softens, everyone feels it, from manufacturers, retailers, designers, installers, merchants and distributors alike.

That’s exactly why the Bathroom Association exists: to bring the whole supply chain together, speak with one voice, and build the conditions for sustainable growth. This year, our ambition is simple: make the UK bathroom sector louder, clearer, and more confident with the Government, the wider construction industry, and consumers.

Competition between brands is healthy. But the real challenge right now isn’t winning share from one another; it’s growing the overall market by strengthening the case for bathrooms as essential, value-adding spaces. Bathrooms are about wellbeing, accessibility, safety, and long-term household resilience. They’re also a critical part of the sustainability story, where water efficiency and product performance matter more than ever.

Our role is to help the industry tell that story consistently with evidence, with credibility, and with shared priorities.

Events that connect the industry

We’re already well underway with plans for our Annual Conference on 8th October at the Grand Hotel in Birmingham, the point in the year where our members and partners can step back from the day-to-day and focus on the bigger picture: regulation, market outlook, innovation and skills.

Preparations are also in progress for our 30-under-30 awards, celebrating emerging talent across the sector, because if we want a stronger market tomorrow, we need to spotlight and support the people building it today.

And as ever, we’re putting real energy into programme planning for the Bathroom Theatre at InstallerSHOW. It’s one of the best opportunities we have to showcase bathroom expertise on a major national stage with practical insights, thoughtful debate, and the kind of collaboration that lifts standards across the board.

MWEL: clarity needed

On policy, an immediate focus is the Mandatory Water Efficiency Labelling (MWEL) scheme. Defra has indicated that the formal release of the scheme, alongside the associated testing criteria, is now expected in early 2026. We’ve seen repeated delays to implementation, with the latest being primarily linked to concerns about cross-border trading between the UK, the European Union, and Northern Ireland.

While we wait for more information and an eventual implementation, retailers and suppliers will need to be aware of their role in highlighting the label to consumers, including on showroom room sets. Failure to comply could see retailers facing action from a national enforcement body.

A year for unity and momentum

Our message for the year ahead is straightforward: the sector will do best when it acts together. Collaboration is how we protect standards, influence policy, support innovation, and make the case for bathrooms as vital, sustainable spaces in the modern home.