In 2004 Henkel Central Eastern Europe initiated the children's charity project "Henkel Smile". The aim of it is to provide quick and direct assistance to needy people as well as to raise awareness in the general public of the issues impacting children and young people who urgently require assistance.

The Henkel Smile program is an important feature of Henkel’s sustainability policies at the heart of the interaction between social, economic and ecological considerations. Henkel Smile bundles all the company’s initiatives on behalf of society, commonly known as “International Corporate Citizenship”. The multi-faceted Henkel Smile program reflects the slogan of the company – “Henkel – A Brand like a Friend”.

For example, Henkel Smile encompasses the support of charitable projects in which Henkel employees and retirees are involved, as well as donations or the sponsoring of social, educational, cultural, scientific, health or sport initiatives, as well as emergency aid in the case of natural disasters. In CEE alone, Henkel supported 29 children’s charitable projects in 2008 with 115,000 euros in funding made available by Henkel.