New York – For its brands green care PROFESSIONAL and FROSCH, Werner & Mertz is the first German provider of sustainable cleaning products to receive the renowned international Cradle to Cradle Products Innovator Award.
The coveted prize from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute, a non-profit organization with headquarters in San Francisco, is awarded to industrial companies that manage their production according to the Cradle to Cradle® principle in closed loops for maximum sustainability. The award winners are hailed as pioneers in their industries.
“The international recognition that comes with the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovator Award confirms in a very special way our high quality standards and our engagement for greater sustainability in professional cleaning,” said Frank Vancraeyveld, Managing Director of Werner & Mertz Professional/tana-Chemie GmbH, at the awards ceremony in New York on 13 November. “We are very proud of this award and we will continue to follow the path of Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM product design. With products from green care PROFESSIONAL, we practice genuine eco-effectiveness. Our intentions to develop products that greatly contribute to the users’ well-being are thereby realized,” he added.
“Integrally sustainable is the Werner & Mertz credo. Credible eco products like green care PROFESSIONAL and FROSCH can come only from a company that consistently pursues sustainability in everything it does,” said Reinhard Schneider, eco pioneer and CEO of Werner & Mertz. Consequently, the ecological and sustainable development of a cleaning product does not end with the elimination of critical ingredients. The company also makes sure that the product life cycle is integrated in Nature’s material cycles.
Since 2013 Werner & Mertz has had its products from the professional cleaning line green care PROFESSIONAL certified by the demanding Cradle to Cradle® process. In that time 18 products from the brand green care PROFESSIONAL have received the highly desired Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM Gold label, including five products from the innovative safety and dosage system SMART, which was introduced at the CMS 2015 in September.
Cradle to Cradle®: Develop and use products in cycles
Cradle to Cradle® stands in contrast to the widespread linear product principle “cradle to grave” in which materials often flow from their sources to their disposal without conscious consideration given to long-term protection of natural resources. Cradle to Cradle® on the other hand is based on designing products for smooth integration into biological or technical cycles. For its strict adherence to the Cradle to Cradle® principal, Werner & Mertz has received the international award for the brands green care PROFESSIONAL and FROSCH. The challenge is in planning the product’s progress through a closed material cycle and in choosing product materials that are suitable for a safe and complete return to the biosphere or for recovery and high-quality reuse.
Cradle to Cradle® is a registered trademark that is owned and licensed by MBDC. Cradle to Cradle Certified™ is a certification mark licensed exclusively to the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.
Photo caption: Frank Vancraeyveld, Managing Director of Werner & Mertz Professional/tana- Chemie GmbH, accepts the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovator Award for green care PROFESSIONAL in New York.
Photography by Margarita Corporan
