Portrait
With more than 1700 members, the SEPAWA® is one of Europe‘s largest professional associations for the detergent/cleaner, cosmetic and perfume industry. The trade association sees itself as a communication platform for experts from the industry, universities and authorities.
The SEPAWA® enables the close exchange between science and application, resulting in technical and economic progress.

Our industry needs committed and well-trained professionals. For this reason, the SEPAWA actively contributes to the promotion of qualified young scientists.
Besides the annual awarding of prizes for outstanding dissertations, the SEPAWA® also supports chemistry lessons in schools by issuing experimental kits.
Furthermore, in 2016, an endowment professorship was established at the University of Ostwestfalen-Lippe/Germany.
The SEPAWA® CONGRESSconnects the GDCH Detergent Chemistry with its "European Detergents Conference" (EDC), the German Corporation of Perfumers (DGP) and the German Association for Scientific and Applied Cosmetics (DGK). These associations jointly design the annual lecture program of the SEPAWA® CONGRESS.

The History
The SEPAWA® is a professional association with a long tradition, whose origin dates back to the year 1755.
Even back then, soap production required qualified specialist knowledge in order to produce bars of soap and pleasantly scented toilet soaps from fats and oils by the action of alkalis.
The development of innovative synthetic raw materials for detergents, the application of new industrial manufacturing processes and the increasing importance of environmental protection and sustainability were the dominant themes later on.
Organisation
SEPAWA® is an independent trade association with personal members. There are additional options for companies to have corporate and sponsorship memberships.The SEPAWA® Board is supported by the advisory board and the scientific advisory board.
To represent all interests and offer a wide platform, there are six specialist groups and an integrated society that regularly organize lectures and workshops:
- the Legislative-Environment-Consumers (LUV)
- the Professional Cleaning and Care (PRP)
- the Cosmetic Applications and Technologies (CAT) section
- the Raw Materials and Processes (R&P)
- the Innovative Cleaning (IR)
- the Small and Medium Enterprises (MI)
- the German Society of Perfumers in the SEPAWA (DGP).
Outside of Germany, there are the following sections, which organize Independent events

The Board

1st. Chairman
Dr. Hans Jürgen Scholz

Treasurer
Dr. Erik Brückner

Secretary
Dr. Gerhard Merkle

Board Member
Michael Fender

Board Member
Holger Plate

Board Member
Prof. Dr. Jürgen Lademann

Board Member
Prof. Dr. André Laschewsky

Honorary Chairmen
Dr. Klaus Henning †
The SEPAWA® Executive Board is supported by advisory boards and the extended Advisory Board.
Advisory Board
Together with the Executive Board, the heads of the specialist groups as well as the foreign sections form the SEPAWA® Advisory Board. The Advisory Board performs statutory tasks and appoints the Scientific Advisory Board, which has an advisory function.
Dr. Bessler, Cornelius
Dr. Döring, Ralf
Dr. Diaz, Edison
Englund, Björn
Gitzi, Rudolf
Göllner, Benjamin
Dr. Herbrich, Thomas
Prof. Dr. Kimmel, Tobias
Dr. Sigloch, Michael
Wittouck, Jef
Wulfinghoff, Astrid
Scientific Advisory Board
The Scientific Advisory Board has an advisory function.
Bach, Armin
Dr. Bastigkeit, Thorsten
Dr. Beine, Alfred-Horst
Prof. Dr. Bockmühl, Dirk
Boehme, Corinna
Dr. Bohnen, Jürgen
Dr. Chojnacki, Pawel
Dr. Diaz, Edison
Prof. Dr. Gassenmeier, Thomas
Dr. Heinrich, Thomas
Herzog, Gisela
Dr. Koch, Herbert
Dr. Kropfgans, Martin
Kuschnereit, Ralf
Dr. Maienschein, Vera
Dr. Müller, Stefan
Prof. Dr. Pein-Hackelbusch, Miriam
Dr. Ptock, Arne
Dr. Schmidt, Kati
Dr. Top, Michael
Dr. Weber, Andrea
Dr. Wilhelm, Klaus-Peter
Dr. Wilsch-Irrgang, Anneliese
Prof. Dr. Wittern, Klaus-Peter