Sustainability Report 2016 / 2017

Initiative Frosch Our focus also extends to surfactants. From the very begin- ning, the detergents and cleaning products from the Frosch and green care Professional brands have been made with plant-based surfactants. Both do without surfactants from animal or fossil fuel sources. In the first generation of the eco-cleaners, the plant-based surfactants required use of palm kernel oil. Our goal was to eliminate that type of sur- factant and to switch to surfactants from European plants. Since 2013 we have increased the use of surfactants made from rapeseed, linseed and olive oil from plants cultivated in Europe. Furthermore, the Frosch Initiative co- operates with NABU (German Society for the Preservation of Nature) on sev­ eral projects for the preservation of bio- logical diversity. Finally, it is very important to us to make the public aware of EMAS. The acronym stands for “Eco-Management and Audit Scheme” of the European Union, a com- bination of environmental management and environmental audits. It is consid­ ered the most demanding environmen- tal system in the world. Since 2003 Wer- ner & Mertz has voluntarily had its two sites in Germany and Austria validated against strict EMAS criteria. With this certification, we underscore our high sustainability standards and send an important message to the business community and society. The EU Commission, however, forbids use of the EMAS logo on products and their packaging. To make it easier for the shopper to decide in favor of more sustainability, we would like to change that and place the EMAS logo prominently on the product packaging. 19