Werner & Mertz

What Werner & Mertz does

Werner & Mertz GmbH is a privately held German family-owned manufacturer of consumer and professional cleaning products, headquartered in Mainz, Germany, with a secondary location in Hallein, Austria. The company operates two distinct business segments: a consumer (B2C) segment anchored by the Frosch brand (alongside Erdal, EMSAL, BIONIC DRY, and Rorax) sold through German and Austrian supermarket and drugstore chains and e-commerce; and a professional (B2B) segment served by green care PROFESSIONAL and TANA Professional brands sold directly to commercial cleaning operators, facility managers, and industrial clients.

The company has built a 40-year sustainability track record beginning in 1986, with proprietary packaging technologies forming its core competitive moat. The patented Stand-Up Pouch (Standbodenbeutel), co-developed with Mondi, is the first flexible packaging globally to achieve Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold across all categories, reduces packaging material by up to 70% versus equivalent bottles, and uses monomaterial polyethylene with a removable sleeve. The Circular Economy Trigger Spray Head, co-developed with Berry Global, is 18% lighter than market standard, made of 97.6% polypropylene and 2.4% polyethylene from a single polymer group for full recyclability, with 29% post-consumer recyclate in functional components. The Recyclat-Initiative closes the loop by sourcing post-consumer plastic from German household Yellow Sack (Gelber Sack) collection and reprocessing it into 100% recycled-content packaging, having produced a world record of 1 billion such bottles.

The company generates revenue through product sales in consumer retail and professional B2B channels, supplemented by direct-to-consumer Frosch Shop and Factory Outlet retail locations and export-market distribution. It is family-controlled by Managing Partner Reinhard Schneider, who received the German Environmental Prize in 2019 and the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 in Sustainability. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, no public listing, and no headcount or revenue figures disclosed in the source data. The company maintains certifications including Cradle to Cradle Gold, EMAS, and the Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitskodex (DNK).

Name

Werner & Mertz

Legal name

Werner & Mertz GmbH

Website

https://werner-mertz.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Werner & Mertz is a German family-owned manufacturer of consumer and professional cleaning products, operating the Frosch, Erdal, EMSAL, and green care Professional brands across retail and B2B channels, with proprietary circular-economy packaging technology and a 1 billion bottle post-consumer recyclate milestone.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Household Cleaning Products Manufacturing

NAICS

Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing (325611)

SIC

Plastics, Foil & Coated Paper Bags (2673)

akta.pro primary industry

Laundry Detergents (Powder, Liquid, Pods/Sheets) (CRAJAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Eco-Friendly Laundry Care (Detergents, Boosters, Stain Removers) (CRAJAOAC)

Keywords

• Household cleaning products
• Laundry care products
• Professional cleaning supplies
• Sustainable packaging
• Circular economy manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Mainz

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consumer Cleaning Products: Sale of household cleaning and laundry products under the Frosch, Erdal, Emsal, Bionicdry, and Rorax brands through retail channels including supermarkets, drugstores, and e-commerce.
2. Professional Cleaning Products: B2B sale of professional cleaning products under the green care Professional and Tana Professional brands to commercial cleaning operators, facility managers, and industrial clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Werner & Mertz manufactures and sells household and professional cleaning and laundry-care products. Its consumer brands (Frosch, Erdal, EMSAL, BIONIC DRY, Rorax) are sold through supermarkets, drugstores and an own factory outlet, while its professional brands (green care PROFESSIONAL, TANA Professional) are sold B2B to facility managers and commercial cleaning operators. The company's distinctive value lies in proprietary circular-economy packaging: a patented Cradle to Cradle Gold-certified monomaterial stand-up pouch, a lightweight recyclable trigger spray head, and a closed-loop Recyclat-Initiative that has produced 1 billion bottles from 100% post-consumer recyclate.

Product overview

Werner & Mertz is a German manufacturer of cleaning and laundry care products operating two distinct market segments. The consumer segment is anchored by the Frosch brand (flagship eco-friendly cleaning brand, positioned as the #1 price-performance winner per YouGov 2026), alongside Erdal, EMSAL, BIONIC DRY, and Rorax. The professional segment serves commercial cleaning with green care PROFESSIONAL and TANA Professional brands. The company's core strategic differentiator lies in its packaging innovation and circular economy leadership: the Recyclable Stand-Up Pouch (patented, Cradle to Cradle Gold certified) and the Circular Economy Trigger Spray Head (co-developed with Berry Global) represent proprietary packaging technologies that reduce material use by up to 70%, incorporate post-consumer recyclate, and enable full recycling. The Recyclat-Initiative closes the loop by sourcing plastic from household yellow sack collection and reprocessing it into 100% recycled content packaging. The company also operates a multilingual Product Datasheet Search Portal (DETVO) available in 24 languages and physical Frosch Store/Factory Outlet retail locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Frosch: Main consumer brand - trust mark cleaning products made with sustainable ingredients, achieving highest customer satisfaction ranking in Germany.
• green care PROFESSIONAL
• TANA Professional

Products and services

• Frosch Flagship consumer brand of household cleaning and laundry-care products, marketed as Germany's most trusted and highest customer-satisfaction eco-cleaning brand; uses 100% post-consumer recyclate bottles and refill pouches.
• Erdal Consumer brand of household cleaning products in the Werner & Mertz portfolio, sold through retail channels.
• EMSAL Consumer cleaning product brand included in the Werner & Mertz consumer portfolio.
• BIONIC DRY Consumer cleaning brand in the Werner & Mertz product portfolio.
• Rorax Consumer cleaning brand in the Werner & Mertz product portfolio.
• green care PROFESSIONAL B2B professional cleaning product line for commercial and institutional cleaning applications, including sustainable refill pouches.
• TANA Professional Professional cleaning product brand for commercial cleaning operations, offered under the Werner & Mertz professional segment.
• Recyclable Stand-Up Pouch (Standbodenbeutel) Patent-protected stand-up pouch made from monomaterial polyethylene with removable sleeve, enabling full recyclability and reducing packaging material up to 70% versus equivalent bottles; used across Frosch and green care PROFESSIONAL refill product lines.
• Circular Economy Trigger Spray Head Lightweight spray pump trigger made from 97.6% polypropylene and 2.4% polyethylene (single polyolefin group for full recyclability), with 29% post-consumer recyclate in functional internal components and an 18% weight reduction versus market standard.
• Recyclat-Initiative (closed-loop post-consumer recycling program) Company program that sources post-consumer plastic from household yellow-sack collection and reprocesses it back into packaging for Werner & Mertz brands, demonstrating closed-loop recycling at industrial scale.
• Frosch Store and Factory Outlet Owned physical retail outlet in Mainz selling Werner & Mertz products directly to consumers, including the Frosch brand, at factory prices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 billion bottles from 100% post-consumer recyclate produced
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Berry GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-development partnership with Berry Global to create the revolutionary spray head/trigger for circular economy. The 2-year joint project resulted in the lightest spray pump of its kind (18% lighter than market standard) with 29% post-consumer recyclate in functional components, fully recyclable in a single polymer group.
• MondicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Joint development partnership with global packaging and paper company Mondi to create the patented stand-up pouch. The 5+ year collaborative project resulted in the first flexible packaging to achieve Cradle to Cradle Certified Gold. Mondi contributed packaging expertise while Werner & Mertz provided sustainable product vision.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Ecover: Belgian-origin plant-based cleaning brand (now part of SC Johnson/Methode) producing eco-detergents and household cleaners. Directly comparable to Werner & Mertz's Frosch brand across product category, sustainability positioning, and retail distribution in European markets.
• Seventh Generation: US plant-based cleaning and laundry brand (acquired by Unilever). Directly comparable eco-positioned CPG brand with household cleaners and laundry detergents sold through mass retail — overlapping customer base and sustainability-led marketing.
• Sonett: German manufacturer of ecological laundry detergents and cleaning products. Closely comparable German Mittelstand peer focused on certified bio detergents and household cleaners, with overlapping retail distribution and a similar sustainability-first value proposition.

Emerging players

• Sodasan: German organic-certified cleaning brand offering eco laundry detergents and household cleaners. Comparable niche positioning in the eco-cleaning segment, smaller scale than Werner & Mertz, focused on natural ingredients and refill formats.
• Bio-D: UK-based eco-cleaning manufacturer offering plant-based, refill-friendly detergents and household cleaners. Comparable niche sustainable CPG peer with smaller scale, focused on UK retail and zero-waste channels.

Broad incumbents

• Henkel: German multinational with major laundry & home care division (Persil, Vernel, Sidolin, Bref). Directly competes with Werner & Mertz across laundry detergents and household cleaners in DACH and globally, with vastly greater scale and distribution power.
• Reckitt Benckiser: Global CPG incumbent with Finish, Vanish, Calgon and other household cleaning brands. Competes with Werner & Mertz in dish and laundry care, with global scale and a growing ESG-led product strategy.
• Unilever: Multinational CPG with cleaning brands including Domestos and Cif, and owner of Seventh Generation. Competes broadly with Werner & Mertz in home and laundry care, with significantly larger distribution and R&D capacity.
• Procter & Gamble: Global CPG with Ariel, Tide, Fairy and Mr. Clean. Competes directly with Werner & Mertz's laundry detergents and household cleaners, with much greater scale, marketing budgets, and supply-chain leverage.
• SC Johnson: Multinational cleaning products company (Mr. Muscle, Duck) and owner of Ecover and Method. Closely comparable in the eco-cleaning segment through its subsidiaries, while competing across conventional cleaning globally.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/wernermertz
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• Pinterestpinterest.com/wernermertz
• Xx.com/wernermertz

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Werner & Mertz