DUESSELDORF, Germany and GULPH MILLS, Pa., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Energy consumption down 21 percent, water consumption down 15 percent, and waste down 32 percent -- profit and sales up. These are three results of Henkel's sustainability performance over the past five years, as presented today at a Sustainability Press Conference in Duesseldorf, Germany. By the year 2012, Henkel intends to reduce its energy consumption by another 15 percent, and achieve further reductions of 10 percent in water consumption and waste generation, per metric ton of output in each case. Using its laundry and home care products as examples, Henkel also demonstrated how these can help to save energy, for instance by washing laundry at temperatures as low as 20 degrees Celsius.

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"Many rankings and awards acknowledge us as a global leader in sustainability and corporate social responsibility," said Ulrich Lehner, Chairman of the Management Board of Henkel KGaA. "And because we embraced these ideals many decades ago, we are in fact already working on solutions to the problems of our age, such as the growing threat of climate change. With this in mind, we are consistently optimizing all of our brands and technologies in three phases of their life cycle: research and development, production, and use." The use of Henkel adhesives helps to make modern cars lighter to reduce fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. And modern laundry detergents and cleaning products from Henkel perform excellently even at low temperatures, enabling households to lower their energy consumption. "These are just some examples of many smart solutions from Henkel," said Lehner. "But," he added, "the impact of such innovations ultimately depends on the collective responsibility of individuals, with each person making a conscious decision to buy the more sustainable alternative."

The current sustainability performance figures for 2003 to 2007 show that Henkel is making excellent progress in sustainability and corporate social responsibility, and that ecological and socially responsible behavior also pays from an economic point of view. Over the past five years, energy consumption has been reduced by 21 percent, water consumption by 15 percent, and waste generation by 32 percent. Thanks to the savings in energy consumption, the associated carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 15 percent as well. Occupational accidents even went down by 72 percent. During the same five-year period, sales grew by 39 percent and profit by 61 percent.

Based on the considerable progress achieved over the past 10 years, Wolfgang Gawrisch, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Research/Technology and Chairman of the Henkel Sustainability Council, announced new, ambitious corporate targets: "Taking 2007 as the base line, over the next five years we intend to reduce energy consumption by another 15 percent, water consumption by another 10 percent, and waste generation by another 10 percent, per metric ton of output in each case." Concerning occupational accidents, Gawrisch added: "We shall, of course, continue to strive to achieve zero occupational accidents. Our interim target for 2012 is a further reduction of 20 percent in occupational accidents."

Also central to Henkel's commitment, Gawrisch continued, are the principles that all new products contribute to sustainable development in at least one focal area, all employees receive training and continuing education to ensure that they are appropriately qualified for their tasks, and that all strategic suppliers satisfy our expectations with regard to corporate ethics.

The way Henkel puts its sustainability strategy into practice was demonstrated by Friedrich Stara, Executive Vice President Laundry & Home Care. Using laundry and home care products as examples, he explained what sustainability throughout the value chain means. A life cycle assessment analyzing the energy and water consumption associated with Persil Megaperls shows that most energy and water is consumed during the use phase. Over the past thirty years, Henkel has succeeded in dramatically reducing the laundry detergent dosage, water consumption and electricity consumption per wash cycle. This improvement in the performance of laundry detergents benefits both consumers and the environment. Stara referred here to the premium laundry detergent Persil, which now offers cleanliness at a washing temperature of just 20 degrees Celsius (i.e. cold wash). This enables consumers to save even more energy and thus reduce CO2 emissions.

In 2008, the new logo "Quality & Responsibility" will be introduced worldwide on all Laundry & Home Care product packs. "By adding the dimension of 'Responsibility' to our promise of 'Quality from Henkel,' we are making a clear statement: Responsibility toward consumers, the environment and society as a whole is just as important to us as our promise of quality. We have exercised this responsibility throughout our more than 130-year history, and will continue to do so in the future," said Stara.

Henkel is part of society and sees itself as a "good citizen." The company engages with society in activities extending beyond its direct business interests. Henkel Smile provides the umbrella for these activities, which have been structured around three core elements: Make an Impact on Tomorrow (MIT) -- employee engagement; Henkel Friendship Initiative (HFI) -- emergency fund; and Social Partnerships -- corporate and brand engagement. In the area of employee engagement, for example, Henkel has been supporting the volunteer work of its employees and retirees for 10 years. Over this period, a total of 5,875 MIT projects worldwide have received support from Henkel.

Henkel in North America

Henkel markets a wide range of well-known consumer and industrial brands in North America, including Dial(R) soap, Purex(R) laundry detergent, Right Guard(R) antiperspirants, got2b(R) hair gels, and Loctite(R) adhesives. Visit http://www.henkelna.com for more information.

For more than 130 years, Henkel has been a leader with brands and technologies that make people's lives easier, better and more beautiful. Henkel operates in three business areas -- Home Care, Personal Care, and Adhesives Technologies -- and ranks among the Fortune Global 500 companies. In fiscal 2007, Henkel generated sales of 13.074 billion euros and operating profit of 1,344 million euros. Our 53,000 employees worldwide are dedicated to fulfilling our corporate claim, "A Brand like a Friend," and ensuring that people in more than 125 countries can trust in brands and technologies from Henkel.

This information contains forward-looking statements which are based on the current estimates and assumptions made by the corporate management of Henkel KGaA. Forward-looking statements are characterized by the use of words such as expect, intend, plan, predict, assume, believe, estimate, anticipate, etc. Such statements are not to be understood as in any way guaranteeing that those expectations will turn out to be accurate. Future performance and the results actually achieved by Henkel KGaA and its affiliated companies depend on a number of risks and uncertainties and may therefore differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are outside Henkel's control and cannot be accurately estimated in advance, such as the future economic environment and the actions of competitors and others involved in the marketplace. Henkel neither plans nor undertakes to update any forward-looking statements.

Press contacts:
Cindy Demers (North America)
Phone: 480-754-4090
cindy.demers@us.henkel.com

Wolfgang Zengerling (International)
Phone: +49-211-797-9336
Fax: +49-211-798-5598

Photos and a PDF version of the Sustainability Report are available for download at http://www.henkel.com/press. More information about Sustainability at Henkel can be found on the Internet at http://www.henkel.com/sustainability, and about Henkel Smile at http://www.henkel.com/smile.

Henkel

Henkel

About Henkel in North America
In North America, Henkel operates across its three business units: Adhesive Technologies, Beauty Care, and Laundry & Home Care. Its portfolio of well-known consumer and industrial brands includes Schwarzkopf® hair care, Dial® soaps, Right Guard® antiperspirants, Persil®, Purex®, and all® laundry detergents, Snuggle® fabric softeners as well as Loctite®, Technomelt® and Bonderite® adhesives. With sales of around 6 billion US dollars (5 billion euros) in 2019, North America accounts for 26 percent of the company’s global sales. Henkel employs approximately 9,000 people across the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.henkel-northamerica.com, and on Twitter @Henkel_NA.

About Henkel
Henkel operates globally with a well-balanced and diversified portfolio. The company holds leading positions with its three business units in both industrial and consumer businesses thanks to strong brands, innovations and technologies. Henkel Adhesive Technologies is the global leader in the adhesives market – across all industry segments worldwide. In its Laundry & Home Care and Beauty Care businesses, Henkel holds leading positions in many markets and categories around the world. Founded in 1876, Henkel looks back on more than 140 years of success. In 2019, Henkel reported sales of more than 20 billion euros and adjusted operating profit of more than 3.2 billion euros. Henkel employs more than 52,000 people globally – a passionate and highly diverse team, united by a strong company culture, a common purpose to create sustainable value, and shared values. As a recognized leader in sustainability, Henkel holds top positions in many international indices and rankings. Henkel’s preferred shares are listed in the German stock index DAX. For more information, please visit www.henkel.com.

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