Werner & Mertz brought one billion bottles of 100 percent post-consumer recyclate to the market
The German cleaning products manufacturer Werner & Mertz set a new world record on June 23 . Since the start of its Recyclate Initiative, the eco pioneer has brought one billion rPET bottles of 100 percent post-consumer recyclate to the market.
Together with like-minded cooperation partners along the entire value chain, Werner & Mertz launched the Recyclate Initiative in 2012 and since then has advanced the mechanical recycling of used plastic for high-quality closed-loop circulation of packaging.
The company, considered a pioneer for recyclable products beyond its own industry, repeatedly sets new standards for ecological feasibility, particularly in the use of material from the Yellow Bag for its packaging. At the world record celebration in Berlin, Werner & Mertz owner Reinhard Schneider announced the next milestone. Effective immediately, Werner & Mertz will begin converting the rPET bottles for the Frosch brand to 100 percent recyclate from the Yellow Bag.
With the achievements of its initiative, Werner & Mertz aims to demonstrate that it is possible to offer effective, verifiably resource-sparing products which do not demand that consumers give up quality, performance or sensory experience. “We are not making ascetic products for a niche market; we are specialists in making a sustainable lifestyle attainable for the majority. The key is a cheerful appeal. To that end we bank on the best combination of consistent, highly effective resource efficiency per product and achievable reach in terms of market share,” says Schneider.
When Werner & Mertz founded the Recyclate Initiative, it set aside the problem of what came first—the chicken or the egg. Hardly any company used recyclate at that time because it was significantly more expensive than plastic made from fresh crude oil. Economies of scale would make recycling less expensive, but someone had to take the first step by investing in recyclate. Werner & Mertz demonstrated that courage and sought partners along the value chain. Current partners include NGO NABU; plastic specialist Alpla; packaging concern Mondi Group; and, the most recent addition, waste and recycling company PreZero.
Now, since 23 June 2025, the increase to 100 percent Yellow Bag material in rPET bottles. The increases in the share of Yellow Bag material were made possible by the high technical standard of the sorting facilities along with acquired knowledge and close monitoring of the plastic bales delivered to the recycling plant. On site, packaging experts from Werner & Mertz regularly inspect the plastic bales and evaluate the quality of the materials available for recycling. Knowledge about this waste stream goes into process development.
Demands made on politicians
Werner & Mertz, through its Recyclate Initiative, has repeatedly demonstrated the viability and scalability of using high-quality recyclate from household waste, including for cosmetic products. Despite this success, the use of such recyclate remains limited among other companies—not due to technical barriers but because of insufficient political action to create fair conditions between recycled materials and plastics derived from crude oil, states the company. As a result, Werner & Mertz, along with partner organisations, NGOs, and associations, continues to call on policymakers in Berlin and Brussels to implement supportive measures for the circular economy.