At the 2012 American Cleaning Institute (ACI) Annual Meeting and Industry Convention, January 30 through February 4 in Orlando, Florida, Henkel recognized four outstanding suppliers for their excellent cooperation. The “Henkel Sustainability Award”, which is presented for the first time, was conferred to  BASF. The “Best Supply Performance Award” went to Evonik Industries. Winners of the “Best Innovation Contributor Award” were The Dow Chemical Company and Dow Corning.

Henkel has presented the “Henkel Sustainability Award” for the first time on January 30, 2012 in Orlando, Florida. The award will annually recognize business partners who notably contributed to the development of more sustainable products from Henkel. The “Henkel Sustainability Award 2011” has been conferred to BASF.

From 2012 onwards, Henkel is purchasing certificates for sustainable palm kernel oil for its entire range of laundry and home care products. This ensures that for the quantity of palm kernel oil used in the  production of the surfactants for Henkel’s detergents and cleaning products a corresponding quantity of sustainable palm kernel oil will be produced and enter the supply chain. As early as in 2009, Henkel committed to cover its overall product portfolio by certificates and to complete this step by 2015. To underline the clear commitment to a sustainable palm oil production, Henkel is now accelerating the process for laundry and home care, its largest product category containing surfactants.

A detergent factory of Henkel Polska in Racibórz, as one of the first in Poland and the first Henkel plant in the world, has achieved ISO 50001 international standard. ISO 50001 is one of the newest and best global practices aimed at rational and efficient energy management.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has ranked Henkel in the top category of its global Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard 2011, awarding the company the maximum score of nine points out of nine. To compile the international ranking, the WWF assesses over 130 firms, including 64 from Germany, in the consumer goods industry and the retail sector with regard to their contribution to the sustainable cultivation of palm oil. The WWF published the Palm Oil Buyers’ Scorecard 2011 today during the annual conference of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in Malaysia.

Around the world there are some 500 experts working on product development on behalf of Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care business sector, endeavoring to discover new substances and methods of fighting soil, dirt and stains. A look at the labs reveals how these researchers – working on something akin to a production line – replicate the everyday problems encountered by consumers around the globe in order to devise the most effective solutions capable of combating them.

Capable of invoking memories and conjuring up specific images in the mind’s eye, fragrances directly address our feelings and color our perceptions. Laundry and home care products are also characterized by unique scents that have a significant effect on the consumer’s decision to buy. Moreover, the same fragrance can affect the human senses in a multitude of different ways – be it due to cultural mores or individual experiences.

Imagine your favorite T-shirt suddenly emitting a wonderful aroma as you step into the sunlight in the morning: what a perfect start to the day! Although this may sound rather futuristic and unlikely, it may well become a reality thanks to the doctorate thesis written by scientist Dr. Olga Hinze of Cologne University. Henkel has recognized her research with a 3,000 euro stipend under the “Laundry & Home Care Research Award” scheme.

At the 2011 American Cleaning Institute (ACI) – formerly the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) – Annual Meeting and Industry Convention, January 25 to 29, 2011 in Orlando, Florida, Henkel Laundry & Home Care awards two prizes. The “Best Innovation Contributor 2010” goes to The Dow Chemical Company for the best contribution of an external partner delivering outstanding consumer-relevant innovation. The “Best Supply Performance 2010” is conferred to Firmenich and Symrise for their outstanding operational supply performance.

Chili sauce in Mexico, beetroot soup in Poland – while tastes may differ, many of the world’s favorite foods produce similarly stubborn stains. So Henkel’s researchers are kept constantly busy in their endeavors to develop specialty laundry detergent formulations capable of combating such soiling.

Fungi, yeasts and bacteria – for some they may sound like a list of the most feared of pathogens, but for others they constitute living mini-factories capable of producing substances such as enzymes, citric acid and, lately, biosurfactants. “White Biotechnology” is the scientific term for industrial-scale production of substances with micro-organisms in closed systems. Indeed, without this technology, laundry and home care products would be significantly different than what we see today – because it is being used to an ever increasing degree in the manufacture of their key ingredients.

The toilet isn’t clean enough? A thing of the past! Bref Power Active offers an innovative combination of active components. As of summer 2010, it will be available in thirty European countries as the first toilet rim block with four active pearls in three different fragrances.

In recognition of his outstanding doctorate thesis investigating the physico-chemical properties of foams, Dr. Enda Carey of Ireland received from Henkel the “Laundry and Home Care Research Award” conferred by the company for the first time, carrying a monetary prize of 3,000 euros.

Purex® Complete 3-in-1™ laundry sheets from Henkel received a Gold Award at the Edison Best New Product Awards presented by the Discovery Channel on April 29 in New York.  Purex® Complete 3-in-1™ laundry sheets were honored in the Consumer Packaged Goods Household Segment category.  The Edison Awards recognize new and innovative products in 11 categories in the spirit of Thomas Alva Edison, America’s greatest inventor and innovator.

It all starts with an idea. A sudden thought. A solution to a recognized problem. But that is not enough. Those wishing to qualify for the ‘Fritz Henkel Award for Innovation’ have to implement that idea in practice – and prove its commercial viability in the marketplace. These are the criteria against which, each year, Henkel confers this much-coveted commendation on three winning teams of employees for the best product innovations.

At the 2010 Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) Annual Meeting and Industry Convention, January 26 to 30, 2010 in Orlando, Florida, Henkel Laundry & Home Care awards two prizes. The “Best Innovation Contributor 2009” goes to Cognis for the best contribution of an external partner delivering outstanding consumer-relevant innovation. The “Best Supply Performance 2009” is conferred to Sasol for its outstanding operational supply performance.

Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care business sector has been recognized with the European Supply Chain Excellence Award 2009, presented by the European business magazine Supply Chain Standard and PRTM, a leading global management consultants firm. An extensive analysis of value chains was the basis of this competition, in which more than 60 different, mostly globally operating companies from all over Europe were shortlisted for the final round.

Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care business sector is the winner of the 2009 Award for Excellence in Supply Chain Customization and Innovation. This General Industries Award is conferred by Boston Strategies International. The internationally operating consulting firm has conducted an in-depth global supply chain benchmark study in which diverse companies responded from all over the world.

at the Holthausen site in Düsseldorf, Germany

Christian-André Weinberger, Corporate Senior Vice President und Global Chief Marketing Officer and Sustainability Council representative for the Laundry & Home Care business at Henkel explains why sustainability is a success factor, why performance – based on sustainability – is setting a new standard of quality, and why innovative, sustainable consumption can lead us out of the crisis.

What is sustainability? How can sustainability be measured in different brands such as Persil, Terra Activ and Somat? When is one solution more sustainable than another? The Henkel-Sustainability#Master of the Laundry & Home Care business sector gives answers to these questions. The computer-aided method developed by Henkel makes it possible to assess whether products and processes are more sustainable relative to a starting situation.

Sustainability is more than environmental protection and social engagement. At Henkel, sustainable development starts with the selection of the raw materials for its branded products, involves manufacturing, distribution and communication, and takes the use phase and disposal into account as well, thus encompassing the entire value chain. At an information event on July 1, experts used practical examples to demonstrate how the company exercises its responsibility in its Laundry & Home Care business and why this is so important, especially in challenging times.

For more than 133 years, Henkel has been combining leading brand performance with responsibility toward people and the environment. In Cologne on May 19, Henkel received the 2009 Plus X Award – conferred as part of a major European technology competition – for its standing as an “Ecologically Committed Company”. Also recognized were the company’s new liquid laundry detergents marketed under the Terra Activ brand.

In the fall of 2008, Henkel launched its second international student competition under the name ‘Henkel Innovation Challenge’. Now the finals in Brussels have just come to an end. The eleven best student teams from throughout Europe presented their ideas before an international jury comprised of Henkel managers. As ‘business development managers’, they elaborated a concept for a Henkel product in the year 2050. The winners were the team representing the Netherlands studying at the Rotterdam School of Management. These upcoming talents presented a compelling concept for an innovative, environmentally compatible detergent able to function without water.

A jury of twelve experts from industry, academia, specialist magazines, and business consultants honored Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care business sector on April 3 with the “Supply Chain Management Award 2009” for the successful global reorganization of its supply chain. The award is presented annually to the manufacturer with the best supply chain.

“Best Innovation Contributor 2008”/“Best Supply Performance 2008”

Innovative brands

Henkel official partner of Expo Zaragoza

Better for the laundry, better for the environment – that is the new “Persil – better than ever from 20°C”. From April 2008, Persil with its high-performance active stain remover will be offering even better results from just 20°C, enabling the laundry to be washed at low temperatures – with proven Persil cleanliness still abounding, of course. Hence, with Persil, it is possible to both save energy and spare the environment.

At the 2008 SDA (Soap and Detergent Association) Annual Meeting and Industry Convention, January 29 to February 2, 2008 in the United States (Florida) Henkel Laundry & Home Care awards prizes to two outstanding suppliers. The “Best Innovation Contributor 2007” goes to Clariant for the best contribution of an external partner delivering outstanding consumer-relevant innovation that resulted in a product of highest market value. The “Best Supply Performance 2007” is awarded to Evonik Degussa for its outstanding supply performance.

iF Gold Award 2007 for Persil from Henkel

New packaging design for premium brands from Henkel

100 Years of Persil – a Piece of Advertising History

1:3 share split proposed

To win the Fritz Henkel Award for Innovation a product idea must have two essential attributes: a convincingly innovative character and successful market performance.

Henkel KGaA has selected five in-house research teams as winners of its "Research/Technology Invention Award".