Sustainability Report 2016 / 2017

2 Sustainability in Everyday Life We strive to answer the question of how to make a sustainable way of life feasible for most people. Resolving the apparent contradiction between ecology and the effectiveness of cleaning products is our main concern. In concrete terms, that means we want to be one step ahead of ecological benchmarks in all essential elements of our products, i.e., formulas, pack­ aging and production. As an eco pioneer, we also want to push market de­ velopment with recyclable – i.e., integrally sustainable, high performance – cleaning and hygiene solutions which are non-hazardous to human health and Nature. Consequently, we are committed to our long-term initiatives, which often set new standards in ecological feasibility beyond our own brands and product portfolios. Two very good examples are our Recyclate Initiative and our Native Surfactants initiative. As an owner-managed, medium-sized company, we can be more consist­ ent and rigorous in fulfilling sustainability criteria than a business whose success factors are defined by external criteria such as stock exchange rules or requirements from analysts. In the broadest sense, our challenge also lies in tackling global environ­ mental problems such as ocean plastic, which has been brought to the public ’ s attention by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation in Davos. Even as a single company, we believe it ’ s worth the effort to fight for the reduction of plastic in the world ’ s oceans. You ’ ll find our initiatives and measurable success in this fourth edition of our Sustainability Report. Reinhard Schneider CEO of the family business Werner & Mertz