Henkel’s commitment to sustainability brings value-added benefit to business partners

‘We are customer driven’: Henkel added further weight to this declaration, long-established as one of its ten basic ‘corporate values’, by making 2009 its ‘Year of the Customer’. In pursuing this commitment, Henkel not only provides its industrial and retail partners with successful products but also makes readily available to them its knowledge and expertise in relation to sustainability and corporate social responsibility, as well as its international experience with different cultures, mores and customs. Long before sustainability became a mainstream issue, Henkel consciously took it on board, giving it the high priority due and integrating the associated requirements within its general business processes. And this approach has also been widely recognized as beneficial to the company’s industrial and retail customers, for in 2009 Henkel received sustainability awards from Walmart, Kellogg’s and Switzerland’s Coop Group.

“We are delighted at these awards and proud to be able to support our customers in their own efforts in the sustainability domain,” commented Kasper Rorsted, Chairman of the Henkel Management Board. “It is apparent that Henkel’s approach and our long-standing commitment to the sustainability issue have made us an attractive partner for our customers.”
 
‘Walmart Sustainability Award’
Walmart honored Henkel as the supplier responsible for making the biggest global contribution to its own sustainability effort. The decisive factor in this award was Henkel’s willingness to collaborate closely with its customer Walmart in the latter’s Sustainable Value Networks, supporting it specifically on the ‘Ingredients’ and ‘Packaging’ fronts. Henkel is also a member of Walmart’s Central American Sustainability Council. This US trading giant is Henkel’s biggest customer in the retail sector.

‘Kellogg’s Environmental Stewardship Challenge’
Henkel has been contributing to Kellogg's attainment of its own ecological targets. Similar benefits have been garnered from other sustainability projects instigated by Henkel in the adhesives segment.

‘Coop Natura Preis’
The ‘Coop Natura Preis’ (Coop Supplier Award), which comes with a check for 30,000 Swiss francs, was conferred on Henkel in the ‘Best Sustainability Promoter’ category. This prize is awarded every two years to a person or organization whose activities have made a significant contribution to enhancing the sustainability of the standard product range of this Swiss retail company. Its laundry and home care products represent a persuasive combination of ecological compatibility, quality and performance.  Henkel intends to use the prize money in 2010 in order to implement specific sustainability projects with its employees in Switzerland.

Henkel provides extensive information on sustainability and corporate social responsibility, plus all the relevant rankings and ratings, on its website www.henkel/com/sustainability.
 

Henkel has been committed to making people's lives easier, better and more beautiful for more than 130 years. A Fortune Global 500 and Germany's most admired company according to a recent Fortune survey, Henkel offers strong brands and technologies in three areas of competence: Home Care, Personal Care and Adhesive Technologies. Each day, more than 52,000 employees in 125 countries are dedicated to fulfilling Henkel's claim "A Brand like a Friend.” In fiscal 2008, Henkel generated sales of 14,131 million euros and adjusted operating profit of 1,460 million euros.