Climate positivity, Circular Economy and Social Progress – these are the three pillars of Henkel’s sustainability strategy. Within the Adhesives Technologies business unit, the Global Operations and Supply Chain organization has put strategy into action by investing in different projects around the world that maintain steady progress in each area.

Henkel Adhesive Technologies - a leader in structural adhesives and surface treatments for the aircraft OEM and MRO industries worldwide - recently developed Loctite EA 9365FST, a new two-part epoxy adhesive that reinforces and bonds thermoplastic and thermoset substrates and can serve as a matrix resin on fiberglass to strengthen the thin walls of thermoplastic assemblies. Developed for use in aircraft interiors, the halogen and antimony-free adhesive meets industry fire retardancy, smoke density and toxicity ‏(FST) requirements, is REACH and EH&S compliant worldwide, and is qualified to Boeing process specification BAC 5568.

Henkel has closed the sale of two brands, Right Guard and Dry Idea, to Thriving Brands LLC, effective June 1, 2021. Both brands are mainly focused on the North American and UK markets. The transaction is another milestone in the company’s ambition to actively shape its portfolio, an important pillar of its Purposeful Growth agenda. Last year, Henkel announced that the company has identified brands and categories with a total sales volume of more than one billion euros, predominantly in its consumer businesses, of which around 50 percent are marked to be divested or discontinued by 2021.

The importance of food safety in packaging remains paramount for consumers. At the same time, the sustainability of packaging is becoming ever more relevant as a factor in the purchasing decision. Legislators are increasingly acting on these demands, introducing relevant regulation. A few examples: starting January 2022, France is likely to ban the usage of mineral oils in packaging all together, in its ‘Loi relative à la lute contre le gaspillage et pour une économie circulaire’ ‏(AGEC). Meanwhile, Germany is working on new stricter threshold guideline for mineral oil when it comes to the reuse of recycling paper for food contact applications.

Getting children excited about science and awakening their researcher’s spirit – with this in mind, Henkel founded the “Forscherwelt” ‏(Researchers’ World) ten years ago. In April 2011, the first Forscherwelt vacation course was held at the Henkel site in Düsseldorf. Since then, around 62,000 elementary school children took part in Forscherwelt classes in a total of 13 countries. The joint motto: "being like a researcher".

A new innovation from Henkel Adhesive Technologies is helping to reduce the reliance on single-use plastic wrap and packaging materials when transporting goods on pallets. Palletizing is an essential part of modern supply chains, but until now this has required large quantities of plastic films, intermediate layers and anti-slip mats to stabilize and secure stacked goods. All this changes thanks to Technomelt Supra 7220 PS Easyflow from leading adhesives manufacturer Henkel.

Henkel presented its industry-leading apparel adhesive solutions to the 16th Shenzhen International Brand Underwear Fair ‏(SIUF). As one of the most influential events in the underwear industry, SIUF provides a platform for both domestic and international brands to showcase their cutting-edge products and R&D progress. This year, Henkel demonstrated its innovative portfolio of adhesives for underwear, sportswear and outdoor apparel via visual, touchable and immersive booth experiences.

Henkel has launched its virtual knowledge hub, providing an indispensable online resource to learn about and discuss key topics in the packaging and consumer goods industry. The Henkel Adhesives Forum is the place to go for live presentations, on-demand webinars, in-depth white papers, and live interaction, with a focus on hot topics like sustainability, circular economy, health & safety and more.

Henkel’s Low Pressure Molding technology for encapsulating electrical and electronic components in its Technomelt polyamide adhesive molding compounds is increasingly being adopted for medical, electronic components, power and industrial automation, HVAC and lighting applications. The technology offers numerous economic, process control, design and environmental advantages over alternative systems such as potting with reactive resin systems and high-pressure injection molding.

As of June 1, 2021, Wolfgang König ‏(49) will join the Henkel Management Board as Executive Vice President for the Beauty Care business unit. He succeeds Jens-Martin Schwärzler who has left Henkel after more than 28 years with the company.