Green global first for Werner and Mertz

8th of May 2014
Green global first for Werner and Mertz

Claimed to be the only cleaning detergent manufacturer in the world to offer a complete range of Cradle to Cradle Gold certified products is Werner and Mertz.

The 11 certified products include floor, surface and glass cleaners as well as products for sanitary use.
Werner and Mertz ceo Reinhard Schneider said this was the most valuable certification the company had received.

"It is the most holistic way of showing our commitment to sustainability," he said. "Most other certifications tend to involve green cherry-picking; they focus on specific details such as sustainable packaging or a reduction in CO2 emissions.

"But Cradle to Cradle certification is different because it includes everything - not only the chemistry but also the packaging, the energy it takes to make the products and the social aspects."

He said the company had been innovative in its approach to choosing raw materials. "Many formulas use plant-based surfactants such as palm oil from the tropics, but we use European plants such as rapeseed, linseed and even olive oil," said Schneider.

"These are grown in areas that are not in competition with food acres - and because they come from Europe the pollution of transporting oil from the tropics is avoided." The company is also establishing a system of upcycling high quality plastic bottles for packaging purposes.

"For more than 28 years, sustainability has been the criteria for everything we do," said Schneider. "This is the sum total of all our achievements."

The company was presented with its certificate at ISSA/Interclean by Albin Kalin, ceo of the global Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency organisation.

"We have to be really strict when awarding this certification," said Kalin "Cradle to Cradle is not only about safety - it goes much further than that and this is a real achievement for Werner and Mertz."

 

 

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