Henkel: Working together for sustainability

Henkel is publishing its latest Sustainability Report today. The focus of this 22nd issue is on the implementation of the sustainability strategy that the company presented in 2012. At the core of the strategy is the goal of achieving more with less. Henkel intends to triple its resource efficiency by the year 2030. To achieve this ambition, Henkel is actively involving its employees in its strategy implementation programs and working with its partners to drive sustainability along the various value chains.

The strategy was developed on the basis of Henkel’s commitment to leadership in sustainability. The company pioneers new solutions to sustainability challenges while continuing to shape its business responsibly and increase its economic success. “We achieved a great deal in 2012,” emphasizes Kathrin Menges, Executive Vice President Human Resources and Chair of Henkel’s Sustainability Council. “Thanks to numerous workshops, projects and initiatives, our around 47,000 employees now have a clear understanding of what we want to achieve in the medium and long term. Nevertheless, despite all the progress we have made, we are well aware that we still have a long way to go. In view of the ever-increasing demand on limited natural resources, we must continue to improve while reconciling short-term requirements with long-term objectives.”

In addition to involving its employees even more deeply in the process, Henkel also worked in 2012 to intensify its collaboration with its partners along the value chains. This included cooperations with suppliers on the one side and joint projects with customers and retailers on the other. Retail groups provide Henkel with excellent platforms for informing consumers about more sustainable products and how to use them in an environmentally responsible way.

Henkel’s sustainability performance in 2012 shows how the company works continuously to improve its efficiency and safety. In the last eleven years, it has reduced water consumption by 44 percent, energy use by 43 percent and the waste footprint by 53 percent per metric ton of output. Over the same period, the number of occupational accidents dropped by 86 percent. These achievements are important milestones for Henkel, regarding its medium-term targets for 2015 and on the road to tripling its resource efficiency by 2030.

Henkel’s leading position in sustainability was repeatedly confirmed once again in 2012. For example, Henkel has been included in the FTSE4Good index for twelve years. In 2012, it was listed as the leader in its sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the sixth year in a row and, for the fifth consecutive time, has been named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies.

Sustainability Strategy 2030
By 2030, Henkel aims to be using only one-third of today’s inputs for every euro it generates. In order to reduce its environmental footprint and make sustainable consumption possible, the company has defined three major approaches: products, partners, and people. Through their commitment and knowledge, all of Henkel’s around 47,000 employees across the world make important contributions to implementing the new sustainability strategy. Beyond its core business of developing and producing innovative products, the company intends to involve its customers and consumers as well as suppliers and industrial users even more closely in its efforts to foster sustainability along the entire value chain. At the same time, Henkel helps its customers to reduce their own environmental footprint.