People in more than 125 countries trust in Henkel brands and technologies every day. The first-class quality of our products means more than convenience and high product performance. It includes all-encompassing product safety and ecological compatibility. Customers and consumers alike can depend upon the fact that Henkel products and technologies have been tested thoroughly to ensure that, when used as intended, they are safe for health and the environment.

Our shared commitment to the focal areas of energy and climate, water and wastewater, materials and waste, health and safety, and social progress and the translation of this commitment into consumer-relevant innovations strengthens our brands and the reputation of our company. This creates an important basis for trust in our brands and technologies – and for their success. Together with global challenges, the main factors governing the alignment of our brands and technologies are the different requirements in our business areas and regional priorities.

One of the foremost objectives of our laundry detergent developers is the continuous improvement of cleaning performance, paired with ever lower detergent dosages and lower washing temperatures. Other contributions to sustainability in this area include water-saving products, concentrates and refill products, and the use of renewable raw materials.

Well-tolerated, safe-to-use products are a prerequisite for the long-term success of our cosmetics. Efficacy is just as important here as compatibility to health and the environment. Through our use of renewable and natural raw materials, we contribute to the conservation of resources and address an increasing consumer requirement.

We are global leaders in adhesives and sealants – technically, ecologically, and in terms of health protection. Our innovative system solutions offer industrial customers benefits in regard to environmental protection and significant savings in energy, water and waste costs. Our surface treatments provide protection against corrosion and extend product life.

Henkel has used ingredients based on renewable raw materials for many years to optimize the overall characteristics of its products, wherever this is compatible with ecological, economic and social considerations. The proportion of renewable raw materials used in the surfactants – washing active substances – for laundry detergents and household cleaners is about 35 percent. Soaps and shower gels are based for the most part on renewable raw materials. In the case of adhesives – for consumers and craftsmen as well as the industrial sector – there are numerous applications in which renewable raw materials (e.g. starch, cellulose, dextrins and proteins) are used. Renewable raw materials are firmly established key components of glue sticks, wallpaper pastes, and packaging adhesives. The proportion in bottle labeling adhesives, for example, is approximately 45 percent.

The permanent challenge facing the product developers of our laundry detergents and household cleaners is how to achieve better and better washing performance with even lower energy consumption. The key to success lies in skilful blending of the individual ingredients. As in an orchestra, all of the components must harmonize perfectly; even the slightest change can have a huge effect on overall performance. In 2007, our product developers again succeeded in significantly boosting the performance of our premium solid and liquid laundry detergents in Europe by improving their formulations. The new formulations remove more than 20 types of stain, including lipstick, grease and coffee, more efficiently at just 20 degrees Celsius. One of the greatest challenges was to assure the hygiene performance of the detergents at these low temperatures. Since mid-2007, we have been using the new formulations for all varieties of our European premium laundry detergents Persil, Le Chat, Dixan and Wipp.

Conserving natural resources is one of the goals of a number of initiatives of the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products (A.I.S.E.). In the course of these, the performance of Henkel laundry detergents has been continuously improved in Western Europe while progressively reducing the necessary dosages and washing temperatures. Since 2006, Henkel has been involved in the “Laundry Sustainability Project” of the A.I.S.E. in the EU New Member States and Candidate Countries in Central and Eastern Europe, and in a number of neighboring countries, with the aim of contributing toward resource- conserving laundry practices there, too. The objective of the project is to reduce the consumption of chemicals, packaging and energy during production and transport as well as the use phase.

As part of the “Laundry Sustainability Project”, the participating manufacturers commit to putting on the market modern and efficient compact powder detergents to replace traditional heavy-duty detergents. Newly reformulated laundry detergents from Henkel have made it possible to reduce the necessary dosage per wash cycle in Central and Eastern Europe by one third (from 150 to 100 grams). To help consumers become accustomed to the lower dosage amounts, an appropriately graduated scoop is enclosed in each package of powder detergent. The compact powder detergents can be recognized by the EuroCompact logo on the pack.

Our innovative Somat 7 sets new standards of efficiency and energy saving in automatic dishwashing. Somat 7 offers consumers outstanding cleaning performance, even when used with water and energy-saving programs. With the help of a low-temperature activator, dishes become sparkling clean at just 40 degrees Celsius. The new detergent booster with washing active enzymes removes stubborn stains, such as egg and sauce  residues, so that they can be rinsed off at only 40 degrees Celsius. The bleaching agents completely remove even tea stains. When used in programs at 40 degrees Celsius,

Somat 7 can save up to 20 percent of the energy required with comparable programs at 50 to 55 degrees Celsius. This not only benefits the environment, but also reduces electricity consumption and, as a result, electricity costs.

We are not alone in pursuing these objectives. Since 2006, we have supported the “Save Energy and Water” initiative of the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products (A.I.S.E.) with our automatic dishwashing detergents. The goal of this initiative is to persuade consumers in all EU Member States, as well as in Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, to save energy and water when they use their automatic dishwashers. Corresponding logos on automatic dishwashing detergents and information on the Internet encourage consumers to select more energy-efficient
programs.

Care and skin compatibility are a high priority in soaps. Formulations with the same pH as the skin, which do not dry out the hands, are favored. Gentle cleansing is provided by the new care formulation and innovative dispensing method of Fa Soft Foam Soaps. A pump, especially designed for Henkel, generates a mild, creamy foam at the moment the soap leaves the bottle. This pre-foaming has a number of benefits. It reduces the amount of water and product needed to wash the hands, as no water is required to generate the foam. Moreover, the microfine foam achieves the same cleaning performance  as conventional liquid soaps, but with a lower proportion of washing active substances (surfactants). This makes Fa Soft Foam especially mild and skin-compatible. The low-surfactant formulation is also especially sound from an ecological standpoint.

A recent innovation in hair styling is the Silhouette Compact Hairspray. Although the size of the hairspray can has been reduced from 750 to 400 milliliters, its contents go further than the 750-milliliter can. Silhouette Compact provides the accustomed perfect hold and is more flexible and convenient in its new small format. The 50-milliliter version is ideal when traveling and at work. This was made possible by a combination of a newly developed concentrated hairspray formulation and a new microspray application system. The nozzle and the valve were optimized so that the usual styling results can be obtained with a very much smaller amount of product. Silhouette Compact contains almost 50 percent less propellant gas than conventional 750-milliliter hairspray cans. Moreover, less metal and plastic are needed for the packaging. This saves resources in packaging and production and, with about half the weight, in shipping.

The Pritt Stick shows how Henkel replaced mineral oil based raw materials by suitable renewable raw materials at an early stage. In 1991, Henkel started to develop alternatives to a variety of raw materials. The prospect of finding a substitute raw material that would reduce dependence on mineral oil based polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was also economically interesting, as the great demand for PVP was met by just a few suppliers. The quality of the glue stick produced with an alternative raw material had to be at least equal to that of the existing product. Starch ether was identified as a potential alternative raw material, as starch has good adhesive properties when it is appropriately chemically modified. After a development period and a test phase of two years, consumer tests were successfully concluded and the first generation of the starch-based Pritt Stick was produced. In 2000, PVP was finally completely replaced. Worldwide, Henkel is the only supplier of starch-based glue sticks.

When craftsmen and DIYers opened, poured and mixed tile adhesives, they often used to find themselves surrounded by a cloud of cement dust. This sometimes resulted in annoying coughing, skin irritations, and dust in the eyes. In the newly developed Ceresit microgranular tile adhesive “Highly Flexible,” the dust particles are bonded together in fine microgranules. This means up to 90 percent less dust compared with conventional tile adhesives. This not only spares the user’s health, but results in far less dust in the work environment and neighboring areas.

Another advantage is the 30 percent higher coverage per kilogram of adhesive. 18 kilograms of Ceresit “Highly Flexible” microgranular tile adhesive can cover an area that would otherwise require 25 kilograms. Moreover, far less effort is needed to apply the new tile adhesive.

In close cooperation with partners and the automotive industry, Henkel is developing an alternative to zinc phosphating, which for decades has been the standard method for inhibiting corrosion of the sheet metal used for car bodies and providing a suitable substrate for surface coatings. With Bonderite NT, we have already established a qualitatively, ecologically and economically superior alternative to iron phosphating. The nanoceramic coating method is used, for example, in the production of refrigerators, office furniture, supermarket shelves, and agricultural machinery.

Now we are developing a solution that will enable us to offer these benefits to the automotive industry as well. The goal is to satisfy the extremely demanding requirements for car bodies and for the new method to be in use in the first car production lines within two years. The new technology is to offer the best possible protection against corrosion. In comparison with zinc phosphating, the new method should also significantly reduce energy consumption and – by drastically cutting the amount of heavy metals – the cost of wastewater treatment and disposal.