Don’t tell, show: taking action on climate protection

COP26 grabs headlines. Greta Thunberg commands social media attention. Everyone is talking about the climate – but talk doesn't protect our endangered planet. Action does. That’s why governments worldwide are now redesigning their climate action plans with more ambitious targets to cut emissions. It's also why we are proactively decarbonizing Henkel's global value chain. Action counts.

We strongly believe that reducing emissions and limiting temperature changes is only possible if everyone takes effective action. As a large global business that touches millions of lives every day, we acknowledge our responsibility to play a leading role in seeking solutions that solve climate change. This is embedded in our purpose – “pioneers at heart for the good of generations.” Only through pioneering and innovative action do we live well today without compromising the livelihood of future generations. ?

Our efforts are built around our goal of becoming climate-positive in our operations by 2040 at the latest. This starts at our production sites, where we aim to reduce our overall CO2 footprint by 75 percent by 2030 (compared to 2010.) Therefore, we’re constantly looking for ways to boost energy efficiency, and we’re also switching from fossil fuels to climate-neutral alternatives. In fact, we aim to source 100 percent of the electricity we purchase for production from renewable sources by 2030. And if we have any extra carbon-free energy, we will supply it to other companies and organizations, so they can reduce their emissions, too. That’s what we mean when we talk about being climate-positive.

What have we achieved so far? A lot! Our Fragrance Center in Krefeld, Germany, recently became the first Henkel site to switch to 100 percent climate-neutral energy. Fully renewable hydroelectric power provides the electricity. Biogas, instead of natural gas, heats our buildings. Our Laundry & Home Care production facility in Düsseldorf has also fully converted to green electricity. It’s now switching to biogas and will be 100 percent climate-neutral in early 2022. And we have signed an extensive power purchase agreement in the USA to cover 100 percent of our electricity demand in the US with wind energy in the future.

We also place a strong focus on partnership, because one thing is crystal clear: no single company or person can do it alone. This is why we have joined a wide variety of partnerships with NGOs and other multinational companies, among others. We work with smallholder farmers through Solidaridad to ensure responsible sourcing of palm oil and reduce deforestation. We founded Together for Sustainability to ensure transparent, sustainable supply chains through audits shared with the entire industry. And we encourage other multinationals like us to embrace net-zero targets more ambitious than the Paris Agreement through The Climate Pledge. We rely too much on each other, and therefore cannot make progress in isolation.

Our customers and consumers also have a key role to play; lifecycle analysis shows that the majority of the carbon footprint associated with our products is generated when they are used. Henkel engages in a range of activities that raise awareness about how consumers can minimize their environmental impact. This includes our “Be Smarter” initiative, which shares information about using less warm water and recycling product packaging correctly.

Pioneers at Henkel also develop next-generation products that enable less carbon-intensive lifestyles. Our dry shampoos, for example, don't require warm water for rinsing. Our laundry detergents deliver outstanding results at much lower temperatures. Our metal pretreatments make it possible to build lighter cars that generate lower emissions. Altogether, we want to save 100 million tons of CO2 with our suppliers, customers and consumers from 2016 to 2025.

We are proud of how much we have achieved, but we also understand how much work we still needs to do. So let's not waste time, let's act now for tomorrow!?