In a letter to Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Lehner, President and CEO of Henkel, declared the Company’s participation in the UN´s Global Compact initiative. Henkel has thus committed to integrate the nine principles of the Global Compact in its corporate culture and day-to-day business operations.
The aim of the Global Compact is to bring companies together with UN agencies, labor and civil society to respect human rights around the world and to support fundamental labor rights and environmental protection. At Henkel, the principles of the Global Compact are already reflected in its vision of making people´s lives easier, better and more beautiful, and in its corporate values. One of Henkel´s ten corporate values reads: We are dedicated to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. Lehner adds: “The corporate ethics deriving from this sense of responsibility are anchored in our corporate standards and the Code of Conduct that is binding for all of our employees.”
For Lehner, joining the Global Compact also brings concrete advantages for the Company: “The long-term economic success of the Henkel hinges on how we as a company behave toward society as a whole. The fact that we live the Henkel Code of Conduct and our slogan “A Brand like a Friend” in our daily work strengthens our corporate culture. The quality of our reputation is also determined by our behavior. Each of our employees therefore makes an essential contribution to the long-term continuity and profitability of a consistently viable Company.”