Thanking PD Dr. Wolfgang Ahlf on the occasion of his retirement for his outstanding experimental and conceptual merits in the field of sediment ecotoxicology and his personal 65th anniversary this article will present a laudation. This Editorial furthermore introduces a series of papers on ‘Progress in sediment research and decision making’ which is dedicated to Wolfgang Ahlf, one of the longstanding and leading experts in the field of sediment research. We cordially invite all colleagues who feel they can contribute to the topic to submit a manuscript to ESEU with reference to this series.