#ActingNowForTomorrow

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the #EarthDay. But there is not a single day where I personally and we as a company don’t feel the urgency for immediate action: The climate is changing, and we are seeing the potentially devastating effects of global warming clearer than ever before. For a long time, growth and resource consumption seemed to go hand in hand – and impossible to attain one without the other. With the population expected to grow to more than nine billion people by the year 2050 and resource consumption to further increase, it is clear that we have to act now!

On top of that, the current coronavirus pandemic adds a new dimension to the sustainability discussion. It shows how rapidly things can change and highlights the vulnerability of our society, the fragility of our economic system, and the instability of our standards of living. In exceptional circumstances like these, it becomes even more important to behave as a good citizen, display solidary leadership and care for our employees and the communities we operate in. No matter how we are going to manage the current situation, it is very clear that we need to pay more attention to our economic, environmental, and social behaviors.

As a multinational corporation sustaining global supply chains and reaching millions of consumers, Henkel plays a central role in addressing the sustainability challenge. We don’t know what the future will look like exactly, but as a company, we are willing to learn and change. This is also valid for me: Every day I learn something new on this complex topic.

The foundation was laid in 2015, when the global community came together – committed to holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this, greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 80 to 90 percent until 2050. Henkel strongly supports the commitment of the United Nations’ Paris Agreement on climate change. We need solutions that allow people to live a good life but to generate less emissions at the same time. This idea is at the heart of Henkel's sustainability strategy, as we strive to find new ways of growing and improving quality of life while using fewer resources. We want to improve our products and solutions through innovations and smart thinking – to create more value at a reduced ecological footprint.

Our way to climate-positivity

We are aware of our responsibility and we want to make a positive contribution. We do not only want to be less of a problem but be part of the solution. This is why Henkel has decided to become climate-positive by the year 2040.

This begins with a strong focus on our own sites – all together more than 180 around the world –, where we want to continually improve our energy efficiency, drawing 100 percent of the electricity we use from renewable sources and replace fossil fuels.

From 2030 onwards, we plan to replace the last remaining fossil fuels used in our production with climate-neutral alternatives such as biogas or gas obtained from converting CO2. We will also supply surplus carbon-free energy to third parties. In doing so, we will not only avoid emissions from our own activities, but also enable others to reduce their footprint. This is how we will become climate-positive.

More than a vision – a concrete goal

Becoming climate-positive is more than a vision. It’s a concrete target, comparable to and of equal value as our business targets. As with every strategic goal, measurement is key. We have set interim goals to guide us and serve as indicators for success in the short and mid-term, and we have put in place global measurement systems in order to track this performance.

Our history has proven that we can tackle these challenges: In 2010, we set ourselves the goal of reducing our carbon emissions by 30% until 2020. At the end of 2019, we had already achieved 31%. In the coming years we want to step up the use of renewable energy and further increase our energy efficiency to achieve a 65% reduction by 2025.

Promoting a climate-positive production is key to reaching our goal. But our approach to sustainability doesn’t end – or begin – there. Around two thirds of our company’s overall carbon footprint are generated when our products are used. This creates huge potential to reduce emissions – by providing innovative solutions and raise awareness for a more sustainable lifestyle in our consumers.

The next five years will be decisive, both on a global level and for us as a company. We need to prepare for fundamental change and transformation. We are looking forward to building on the knowledge and engagement of our people, the strength of our brands and technologies, and partnerships in all areas of our business activities.

Achieving this turnaround in our heads and our global business operations is not an easy task to take on. But it is necessary! We need to act now, for tomorrow, together! #ActingNowForTomorrow