Henkel

Line

Rorsted, CEO
Simone Bagel -Trah, Chairman and Chairman of the Shareholders' Committee

Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas: Laundry & Home Care ( Home Care ) Beauty Care ( beauty care ), and Adhesive Technologies ( Adhesives ) operates. The DAX companies headquartered in Dusseldorf -Holthausen one of the 500 most actively traded companies in the world. Of the approximately 47,000 employees, more than 80 percent are employed outside Germany. Henkel is thus one of the most internationally oriented companies in Germany.

4.1 Controversial sustainability
4.2 cartels

Divisions

Henkel is organized into three divisions:

Laundry & Home Care ( Home Care )
Beauty Care ( beauty care ) and
Adhesive Technologies ( adhesive techniques )

Henkel is today with brands such as Persil, Pril, Weisser Riese, Perwoll, Fewa. Spee, Dixan, Vernel, Somat, Bref Sidolin and in the area Laundry & Home Care ( Home Care ) active. The products range from universal detergents on special detergent and fabric softener to the bathroom and glass cleaners.

In the area of beauty care ( cosmetics ) sold Henkel among others The brands Schwarzkopf, Syoss, Fa, Schauma, Taft, Gliss and Diadermine products and manufactures products for hair, body, skin and oral hygiene.

Adhesives, sealants and surface treatments for Henkel are used in a variety of industries - including in the areas of aerospace, automotive, electronics and medical industries. The most popular brands are LIOFOL, Teroson and Loctite. In addition, Henkel adhesives produced for home, school and work. Among the most well-known brands: Pritt, wood glue, rubber cement Ceresit, Metylan, Sista and Tangit.

History

In 1876, entrepreneur Fritz Henkel founded the detergent factory Henkel & Cie in Aachen. The first product he put a powder detergent based on water glass ago. It was heavy-duty detergents. For a better transport links and higher sales opportunities, Henkel relocated his company in 1878 according to Dusseldorf on the Rhine. In the same year, the company with Henkel 's Bleich - Soda was the first brand success: in contrast to all other detergents, the loose were offered at that time, Henkel sold the heavy-duty detergents in handy packet. Sales of Henkel 's Bleich - Soda grew so strong that the rented factory was no longer sufficient within a year. Fritz Henkel decided to build his own factory with a railway connection and graduated from the Gerresheimer Straße in the Oberbilk district a lot. However, the hoped-for and much-needed rail connection could not be added due to terrain problems. The transport problems and principles of corporate policy prompted Fritz Henkel to re- schedule a Relocations: From March 1900 Henkel produced in Dusseldorf -Holthausen - where today is located the headquarters.

1903 brought the Schwarzkopf company - a subsidiary of Henkel since 1995 - the first hair washing powder on the market and thus offered an alternative to the hitherto usual hair washing with plain soap or expensive oils. 1906, the company Cordes & Co GmbH was founded in Minden on the Weser. It developed into a specialist in adhesives, later, especially in synthetic resin dispersions for the wallpaper industry. Cordes was 1970 Henkel. In June 1907, Henkel Persil brought onto the market. This product was advertised as "the first self -acting detergent in the world". 1918 Sil was introduced as a laundry rinse. Two years later, Henkel opened up with the brand Ata the market segment of cleaning and cleaning agents.

In 1921 the foundation stone was laid for a branch factory in Genthin. It was here in the twenties, the most modern detergent production in Germany. Expropriated in 1945, the factory in 1949 to a state-owned enterprise (VEB ) of the GDR. 1990 Henkel bought the plant back. 1922 has started with the production of glue for his own use. 1929, Henkel launched the marketing of P3 cleaners for industry and trade. Surface technology became an important business at Henkel.

1946 Polycolor was founded in Dusseldorf chemical-pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ( 1948 TheraChemie, Ohligsberg ). She led a year later, the liquid hair dye Poly Color one on the market. TheraChemie acquired in 1950 by Henkel. In 1951 the detergent Pril Henkel subsidiary " Boehme fat chemistry" was introduced to the market in powder form by the (formerly Chemnitz ). Three years later, the subsidiary three-ring works a toilet soap Fa. 1956 was aired with advertisement for Persil, the first commercial TV commercial on German TV. In 1958, the Dr. Jost Henkel Foundation was founded on the occasion of the 25th anniversary service of Jost Henkel, a grandson of the founder. In 1962, the Group established a the dishwasher detergent Somat. In the same year is the sharpest in Hanover German adhesive competitor Sichel-Werke AG in the possession of Henkel. In 1969, the first glue stick, Pritt, on the market. Under this brand, Henkel introduced in the course of time a further products for paper, office and stationery. The Henkel GmbH in 1975 converted into a partnership limited by shares ( KGaA) and the parent company of Henkel. This includes at this time around 70 subsidiaries and affiliates. The legal form of KGaA enables the 1985 IPO.

In order to strengthen the position in the construction sector, Henkel acquired in 1986, the construction chemicals business of the Beecham Group, each with nationally important companies and brands: In France Rubson, UK Unibond - Copydex Ltd as well as in Germany, founded in 1905 Ceresit GmbH. Ceresit 1990 is integrated building technology in the handle. After German reunification in 1990, Henkel bought the expropriated Persil works back in Genthin. They were 2009, however, re-sold. A year later the European joint venture Henkel -Ecolab was established between Henkel and the U.S. Ecolab, which has a joint venture fully acquired in late 2001. In 1995, Henkel Dorus the company. The acquisition made Henkel had reported the largest supplier of adhesives in the field of construction and furniture industries. Loctite 1997, was taken over the " world's leading specialist in engineering adhesives, " from Henkel. 1999, the division was spun off chemicals and legally independent under the name Cognis and sold in 2001 to a group of financial investors.

2002 Henkel realized under the slogan " Henkel - A Brand like a Friend," and with a new corporate design for the first time a globally consistent presentation of the Group. 2003, the Group Henkel Global Compact joined the United Nations in 2004 and acquired the Dial Corporation in Scottsdale / Arizona ( USA), which was until then the largest acquisition in the company's history. 2006 Henkel celebrated the 130 - year anniversary as the "Year of Innovation ". According to the company came in the course of the year more than 80,000 ideas from employees from all over the world for new brand products or the improvement of formulations, packaging, development and production processes together. In 2008, Henkel acquired through the takeover of ICI by Akzo Nobel, ICI - business "Adhesives " and " Electronic Materials " (National Starch) for 3.7 billion euros. The add -selling business had a turnover of around EUR 1.83 billion.

In 2008 it was decided that a global program to strengthen the competitiveness from 2011 savings of about 150 million euros a year to implement. Because this program will thereby be deleted worldwide up to 3000 points. In the same year from the Henkel KGaA, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA. The Henkel Management AG joined this one as its sole personally liable partner. The new chairman has been doing the business Rorsted. He succeeded Ulrich Lehner. September 22, 2009 Simone Bagel -Trah was elected & Co. KGaA for the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Henkel AG. She walked in the footsteps of Albrecht Woeste, the & Co. KGaA since 1990 Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Henkel KGaA, from 2008 Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Henkel AG.

In 2010, Henkel formulated for itself a new vision: " A global leader in brands and technologies ". For this, the action was aimed at five corporate values : customers, employees, financial performance, sustainability and family. To make the claim and the pursuit of best performance also towards the outside visible, the company introduced worldwide in 2011, a new corporate design, coupled with the claim " Henkel - Excellence is our Passion ". With the modernized visual appearance, the company wants to strengthen the brand internationally.

2012 Henkel provided its new building on the corporate values strategy with financial targets and strategic priorities for 2016: Outperform, Globalize, Simplify and Inspire. As a global company, Henkel aims to become better than its competition with simplified processes and an enthusiastic team.

Sustainability

1992, the company published its first environmental report. 1997 integrated management systems and binding Group-wide standards regarding safety, health and environment ( SHE) were introduced and started implementing worldwide SHE audits. Henkel is a founding member of the " World Business Council for Sustainable Development" (WBCSD ) and has become in 1995 the international initiative "Responsible Care" in the chemical industry committed. In 2003, Henkel joined the Global Compact of the United Nations and has committed itself to implement its ten principles laid down there today. Since April 2008, Henkel is an official member of the " Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil" (RSPO ). This was established in 2003 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and is committed to the sustainable production and use of palm oil. Henkel also was involved as one of 10 companies at the Product Carbon Footprint pilot project in 2008, working in partners from research, industry and non-governmental organizations working together on a single methodology for calculating carbon footprints for products and their communication.

The strategic goal of sustainability activities of the company is " with Fewer Resources ". To achieve this goal, Henkel has defined for itself six focal areas, resulting in the dimensions " create more value " and "footprint reduce " can be classified: " Health and Safety ", " power ", " Societal and social progress " and " energy and Climate "," water "," materials and waste. " New products are expected to contribute to sustainable development in at least one of the focal areas. For example, these started in October 2008, the new detergent brand Terra Activ - in October 2010 without the " Active" relaunched - to a large extent on renewable raw materials. Since the 1980s, Henkel committed in the "Principles and Objectives of Environmental Protection and Safety" to labor protection, resource conservation and emission reduction. Based on the progress achieved by 2007, the company has defined targets for 2012. These objectives were achieved ahead in 2010: reduction of energy consumption by 21 percent, saving water by 26 percent, minimizing waste generation by 24 percent, reduction in occupational accidents by 29 percent.

2011, the company published therefore new targets: By 2015, another 15 percent are to be saved per unit of production in the areas of energy, water and waste. At the same time, revenue per unit of production is expected to increase by 10 percent and improve the accident rate by another 20 percent. This is to accomplish the goal for the year 2030: the ratio between the value created and improve the ecological footprint by a factor of three.

The sustainability management at Henkel has been awarded several times. The company in September 2011 for the fifth time in a row winner at the World and European index of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index in the category " Non-durable consumer goods " was. In Ethibel PIONEER and Ethibel EXCELLENCE Investment Register Henkel is listed again - as in the 2011 Tomorrow's Value Rating, and in the international FTSE4Good Index. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2010, the company ranked number 61 in the list of 100 most sustainable companies in the world. In the list of "World's Most Ethical Companies " of Etisphere Institute, Henkel was included for the fourth consecutive time.

Henkel continues in the framework of the Initiative for Energy Policy Appeal - "Energy Future for Germany " for a safe, clean and affordable energy supply on. As one of the initiators of the appeal, Henkel is committed to the responsible use of advanced coal-fired power plants and life extension of nuclear power plants to ensure an affordable and fast achievement of CO2 reduction targets.

Social commitment

Henkel has combined its social activities in three areas. These include the promotion of voluntary engagement of employees and retirees ( MIT Initiative: ( on Tomorrow ) ), the quick-relief in disasters over the Fritz Henkel Foundation as well as the corporate and brand engagement in social partnerships. Since the beginning of the MIT Initiative in 1998, more than 4,000 employees and retirees of Henkel in over 110 countries have been involved in around 8,300 projects according to their own information. Of these, Henkel has supported 2,300 MIT children's projects.

Criticism

Controversial sustainability

The Mileage of Henkel 's sustainability strategy is controversial. Although Henkel in the production of detergents and cleaning agents, a renewable raw materials such as palm oil. However, the methods of cultivation of the oil palm are to be assessed critically. In part, rainforests are being cleared or drained peatlands in order to gain more acreage. To ensure that Henkel refers only such palm oil that has been produced in an ecologically compatible and socially responsible, the company is involved in the organization RSPO ( Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil). She has adopted, among others, a certification scheme for palm oil from sustainable sources. The RSPO is, however, largely of industry representatives (of 303 members, 282 business enterprises ), which should not be disregarded in the assessment of such an organization. Even the own minimum guidelines seems the RSPO not strictly enforce. Greenpeace, for example, reported in November 2008 that a palm oil supplier and a member of the RSPO certification criteria and massively violates illegal destroyed rainforest in Indonesia.

Cartelization

The European Commission has condemned in April 2011, several international detergent manufacturers for operating a cartel. It was from 2002 to 2005 in the countries of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Portugal and Greece and was used for systematic collusion in pricing for powder detergents for machine washing. Against Henkel no fine was imposed because of the comprehensive cooperation with the competition authorities.

Also in the process of discussions with Reckitt Benckiser to illegal price increases of dishwasher tabs Henkel remained unpunished. The company had displayed itself.