The impetus for the development of Sonett detergents and cleaning agents can be traced back to research carried out by the natural scientist Johannes Schnorr at the Institute for Flow Sciences in Herrischried at the end of the 1960s. A method was developed there to assess the quality of bodies of water and drinking water, the so-called drop picture method [Tropfbildmethode], which, in addition to the chemical analysis of water for contamination by heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, fertilisers, etc., makes the quality of the water visible as a holistic image. The drop picture method can provide information about the quality of water as a carrier of life and as food. Using this method, Johannes Schnorr was able to detect non-degradable or poorly biodegradable surfactants (washing-active substances) in drinking water (Wilkens et al., 1995. P25).