Sustainability Report 2016 / 2017

6 Sustainable Success Reinhard Schneider, a member of the fourth generation of owners, took over management in 2000 and since then has further developed the strengths of the medium-sized company. “The manager of a family- owned company with a longer planning period than a publicly listed corporation, for example, can certain- ly make different decisions, which, in best case, link ecological with economic concerns.” Werner & Mertz stands not only for innovation, stable, profitable growth, and high quality standards, but also for environmentally friendly and sustainable management. The company has managed to develop successful, high-performance products while fulfilling the highest environmental standards. The philoso- phy of a circular economy is rigorously pursued for formulas and packaging too. Trusted Brands: Effective and Environmentally Friendly The Consumer division of Werner & Mertz has offered customers a successful portfolio of household cleaning and care products for al- most 150 years. Well-known brands such as Erdal, Frosch, emsal, rorax and tofix have be- come established with consumers in Europe and beyond. Approximately 100 million people live in households in Europe in which at least one Werner & Mertz product is used. Werner & Mertz regularly brings innovations to the market that work with Nature’s effective ingredients. One example is the brand Bionicdry, which wa- terproofs outdoor textiles with a highly effecti- ve formula free of fluorocarbons. The Professional division offers special care products, application training and services which consis- tently win over professional cleaning companies. The brand tana Professional and products from the integrally sustainable green care Professional series are used primarily in building maintenance and commercial kitchens throughout Europe. Customers are facility managers or internal service providers who clean public institutions in the public sector and for commercial customers such as hospitals, kin- dergartens, schools, office buildings, industrial buildings, kitchens and restaurants. Company