Henkel Annual Report 2011 - Henkel AG & Co. KGaA Annual Report ...

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Group management report
Strategy and financial targets for 2012
Sustainability Report 2011
Detailed information and
background reading on the
subject of sustainability can
be found in our Sustainability
Report which is available in
both printed and online form.
www.henkel.com/
sustainabilityreport
Our approach for sustainable business processes
In order to successfully implement our strategy
and reach our goal, both of these dimensions
must be manifest in the minds and day-to-day
actions of our more than 47,000 employees, and
apparent in our business processes. We have defined
three strategic principles to achieve this:
products, partners, and people.
Our products deliver more value for our customers
and consumers. We achieve this through innovative
solutions and education, and through
products that offer better performance with a
smaller footprint, thus saving resources and reducing
other negative environmental impacts.
Our partners are key to driving sustainability
along our value chains and in all areas of business
and life. We support them with our products
and expertise. And we collaborate with selected
vendors, so that they can supply us with raw
materials that have an improved environmental
footprint. At the other end of the chain, we help
our customers and consumers to reduce their
own environmental footprint.
Our people make the difference – through their
dedication, skills and knowledge. They make
their own contributions to sustainable development,
both in their day-to-day business and as
members of society. They interface with our customers
and consumers, make innovation possible,
develop successful strategies, and give our
company its unique identity.
Organization
The Henkel Management Board bears overall
responsibility for our sustainability strategy and
objectives, and hence the pursuit thereof within
the corporation. Henkel’s Sustainability Council
steers our global sustainability activities in collaboration
with the individual business sectors
and functions, and our regional and national
affiliated companies.
Our understanding of socially responsible behavior
has been specified and communicated to our
employees throughout the entire Group in our
Code of Corporate Sustainability and our Code of
Conduct. From these codes are derived our more
detailed internal standards governing safety,
health and environmental protection, our social
standards and our Group purchasing standards.
Compliance with these rules and requirements is
regularly monitored throughout the Group by
Henkel Annual Report 2011
internal audits performed at our production and
administration sites, and also – increasingly –
audits at our toll and contract manufacturers and
logistics centers.
By joining the United Nations Global Compact in
July 2003, we also publicly underscored our commitment
to respect human rights and fundamental
labor standards, to promote environmental
protection and to work against all forms of corruption.
Stakeholder dialogue
Viable solutions promoting sustainability can
only be developed in dialogue with all the relevant
social groups. These include our employees,
shareholders, customers, suppliers, civil authorities,
politicians, associations, governmental and
non-governmental organizations, academia and
the public at large. We view interaction with our
stakeholders as an opportunity to identify the
needs of our different markets at an early stage
and to define the directions which our activities
should take. Our dialogue with various stakeholder
groups enables us to access new ideas for
our company, which flow continuously into our
strategy development and reporting.
We deploy a wide range of communication instruments
in order to meet the specific information
requirements of our stakeholders, ranging
from our own publications and technical articles
to events and direct contact. More details and
background reading on the subject of sustainability
can be found in our Sustainability Report.
With this, we document the high priority
assigned to the pursuit of sustainable development
by our company, at the same time satisfying
the reporting obligations laid down in the
United Nations Global Compact.
Further information, reports, background details
and the latest news on sustainable development
at Henkel can be found on our website:
www.henkel.com/sustainability