Reinhard Schneider

Schneider studied business administration with a focus on sales and commerce at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. After graduating, Schneider worked in marketing at various companies for six years. As a descendant of the founders of Werner & Mertz, he had served on the company’s supervisory board since 1992. In 2000, he became Chairman of the Board of Management and also took charge of the Consumer Division. He is owner of the company.

As managing director, Schneider had a defining influence on the sustainability strategy adopted by Werner & Mertz. Among other things, he commissioned the design of new company buildings in accordance with ecological aspects (such as the company headquarters) and, as part of the “Local Surfactants” initiative, increasingly replaced the share of palm kernel oil in the company’s cleaning agents with vegetable oils from European cultivation.

He also rose to prominence thanks to his measures to reduce plastic waste and CO2 emissions by increasing the use of recycled plastic in packaging production. To achieve this goal, he founded the Recyclat Initiative with partners from the industrial sector, waste management and environmental associations in 2012. He is also politically active in this field and advocates, among other things, the introduction of a tax on new plastics. Schneider also campaigns publicly, encouraging the business community to show greater commitment to environmental protection.

Schneider is also a member of the Executive Committee of the German Wettbewerbszentrale (central office for the prevention of unfair competition) and has been a member of the newly founded Future Council for Sustainable Development Rhineland-Palatinate since March 2022. In 2026, Schneider, together with university professor Klaus Helling, was involved in the preparation of the position paper of the Future Council for Sustainable Development Rhineland-Palatinate. The paper highlights the circular economy as a key approach for sustainable and resource-independent development and calls for binding political framework conditions.