News 2011

Henkel Argentina concluded the first year of the "Together for Sustainability" initiative in hopes of establishing closer relations with the community of Chivilcoy, a small city around 200 kilometres west of Buenos Aires where Henkel produces more than 20,000 tons of adhesives each year.

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.

Today sees the fourth conferral of the annual “German Sustainability Award”. As a recognized pioneer in the field of sustainability and winner of the first award for the most sustainable German brand, Henkel supports the event as a sponsoring partner. Kathrin Menges, Executive Vice President Human Resources at Henkel, held a keynote address at the conference, offering insights into the company’s new sustainability strategy. She appealed to all companies to approach sustainability as an opportunity and a driver of innovation, and to integrate it as a permanent feature of their organization.

A group of 26 UCD students and alumni have just returned from the Gros Marne region of Haiti where they  helped to build new classrooms and run summer education camps for local children, thanks to Henkel’s ‘Make an Impact Tomorrow’ (MIT) initiative.

The year 2011 marks Henkel’s inaugural appearance on Newsweek’s Green Rankings: With a score of 61.7% Henkel ranked 165 on the overall Global 500 list of leading companies, coming fifth in the consumer goods category.

For the fifth time in a row, Henkel is listed as the sustainability leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in the Nondurable Household Products category. In addition, Henkel is the only company in its sector to be represented in both the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and the Dow Jones Sustainability Europe Index (DJSI Europe). The indices list corporations that follow the principles of sustainable development in their business operations.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum, member of the Henkel Sustainability Council and responsible for research and development as well as production and supply chain management of Henkel's laundry & home care business, is keynote speaker at the Fifth International Consumer Sciences Research Conference (ICSRC) on the 19th of July 2011 in Bonn. The event is hosted by the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Bonn. This year’s theme: “Consumer behaviour for a sustainable future”.

Henkel has been included in the list of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” for the fourth year in a row. The ranking, prepared by the US Ethisphere Institute, recognizes companies from around the globe for their exemplary ethical approach to corporate governance and their commitment to sustainable development.

Henkel published its 20th Sustainability Report today in conjunction with its Annual Report for 2010. More than 20 years ago, Henkel made a commitment to principles and objectives relating to occupational health and safety, resource conservation and emissions reduction. In 2008, the company announced its targets for 2012. Thanks to determination throughout the organization, these targets had already been achieved by the end of 2010. Measured on a per-ton output basis, energy consumption had decreased by 21 percent, water usage by 26 percent, and the amount of waste generated by 24 percent. Over the same period, the number of occupational accidents fell by 29 percent. These achievements demonstrate that, for Henkel, sustainability is inextricably linked to economic success.

In November 2010 Schwarzkopf Professional started the new social initiative “Shaping Futures”. This program is a new worldwide charity initiative that sees Schwarzkopf Professional partnering with leading non-profit organisation SOS Children’s Villages and volunteer hairdressers, in order to introduce disadvantaged youth to the craft and livelihood potential of hairdressing. Shaping Futures is centred on a “partner country” concept and started in two countries on the world’s poorest continents: Peru and India. In this first round 16 volunteers introduced more than 60 young people into the hairdressing profession.

On November 26, the German Sustainability Award will be presented for the third time during the German Sustainability Conference in Düsseldorf. The aim of the award is to encourage and assist companies in pursuing sustainable policies and help anchor the principles of sustainable development more effectively in public awareness. As one of the winners of the first Sustainability Award, Henkel is supporting the event as a partner, and will itself be showcasing strategies for innovative sustainable consumption during the German Sustainability Conference.

“Alternatives to abstinence?” This is the heading under which, on November 22, the “Platform for Climate-Compatible Consumption in Germany” will be presenting its latest study results at a symposium in Berlin. And Henkel will also be there. As one of the founding members of the Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) Pilot Project, the company is also involved in and committed to this follow-up initiative. Because making consumption more sustainable and climate-compatible counts among the core objectives of Henkel’s sustainability strategy.