Green Care Professional’s innovative Switch system has been nominated for the industry-renowned Amsterdam Innovation Award in the category ‘Sustainability & Environment’. The award will be presented in May 2024 at Interclean Amsterdam, the world’s largest trade fair for professional cleaning. For many years, the Amsterdam Innovation Award has been granted for the most innovative product, service or solution in the cleaning and hygiene industry in four different categories.

In the ‘Sustainability and Environment’ category, awards are given to innovations that focus on corporate social responsibility, sustainability and/or environmentally friendly improvements, like reducing waste, using biodegradable resources or products or solutions that decrease the ecological footprint of the product/solution or even the industry itself.

The innovative Switch System combines efficient and safe dosing without additional equipment with the advantages of sustainable and cost-effective refilling. Ultra-concentrated formulations are available for four different application areas that meet the highest sustainability requirements.

With the development and launch of Switch, Werner & Mertz Professional has taken another step towards a green future for the professional cleaning industry.

Clever dosing is kind to the environment. Effective immediately, the innovative Switch System is available to customers of Tana-Chemie GmbH, the Professional Division of Werner & Mertz. With the motto “It’s time to switch,“ the Mainz specialists for professional cleaning once again focus on convenient use and the circular economy. Switch is the next step toward a sustainable future in professional building cleaning. 

At the core of the Switch System are ultra-concentrated formulations in practical, economical packaging intelligently designed to minimise resource consumption and reduce CO₂ emissions. Every Switch bottle is equipped with a dosing cap that dispenses exactly the amount of cleaning agent needed for each use. When the bottle is empty, it can be refilled easily with the material-conserving, recyclable refill pouch. 

“In our new Switch System with ultra-concentrated products, smart dosing bottle and refill pouch of a monomaterial, we combine all components of a high-performance and circular solution,” says Thomas Ulbricht, Managing Director of the Professional Division of Werner & Mertz GmbH. “Switch stands not only for efficiency and safety, but also for responsible handling of our environment. Once again we show that user-friendly, economical products go hand-in-hand with sustainability in professional building cleaning too.”

Convincingly effective for the entire industry, not just for niche markets

The Switch System covers a wide variety of application areas. For example, there’s TANET uniSwitch for surface cleaning, TAWIP vioSwitch for floor cleaning and maintenance, SANET inoSwitch for sanitary cleaning and GREASE topSwitch for kitchen cleaning.

With each of its three components, the new Switch System reaches its clearly stated aim of combining practical use with ecological features.

• Ultra-concentrated formulations
  It takes only 5 millilitres of concentrate in 4 litres of water to achieve efficient cleaning action. It is possible to produce 800 litres of cleaning solution with a single Switch dosing bottle. The high yield has practical advantages for cleaning companies as they significantly reduce the costs for storage of cleaning product inventory and actively contribute to resource conservation. Furthermore, formulations in the Switch System bear the EU-Ecolabel.
• Bottle with dosing cap
  Users benefit from the integrated dosing cap in several ways. The intermediate step of measuring the product is eliminated and the risk of overdosing or making direct contact with the concentrated cleaning agent is minimised. In addition, no extra expense is incurred for separate dosing accessories. The screw top guarantees simple opening and closing. Bottle and cap are made completely of recycled PP and PE plastic (post-consumer recyclate) and are fully recyclable.
• Refill pouch
  In the Switch System the dosing bottle can always be refilled 1:1 with the pouch. The especially cost-efficient pouch, compared to an empty 1-litre bottle, reduces packaging volume by 85 percent. The lightweight, space-saving pouches reduce the amount of plastic used by 65 percent. As they are made of a monomaterial, the pouches are completely recyclable. The respected Cradle-to-Cradle Institute has certified the pouch’s circularity with the Gold standard.  

Sustainability: The facts speak for themselves.

Because the formulations and packaging of the new Switch System consistently follow circular economy principles, users have enormous potential for environmental and climate protection and resource conservation. The numbers speak for themselves. By changing to the new Switch system, a company that uses 10,000 litres of cleaning agents per year can avoid 39 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, 12 tons of crude oil and three tons of plastic.

Even before the market launch, the Switch System was nominated for the coveted Purus Innovation Award in the Cleaning Products category. The award honors innovative performance in the cleaning industry and recognizes products, tools and systems that impress with high application quality and outstanding overall design.    

“We are proud to have developed a product system that advances the circular economy and resource conservation without compromising on performance and quality,“ says Torsten Haas, Packaging Developer at Werner & Mertz. “Switch is forward-looking both functionally and ecologically. We are convinced this is how the green future of the cleaning industry can and must look like.”