Offering Consumer-Relevant
Solutions and
Influencing Consumer Choices
Uwe Bergmann
OECD Corporate Responsibility Roundtable
Paris, June 15th, 2009
Our Business Sectors
and Top Brands
Laundry /
Home Care
Cosmetic /
Toiletries
Adhesives
Technologies
Quality with Brands and Technologies
2
Sustainability −
a Focus for the total Company
 Corporate Vision
 Focal Areas
 Corporate Values
3
A sustainable Business Model
has to focus on the entire Value Chain
Disposal
Raw materials
Use phase
Transportation
Distribution
Manufacturing
of products and
packaging
Manufacturing
of ingredients
4
From Pioneering Certificates
for Sustainable Palm Kernel Oil
Henkel was the first company
buying certificates for
Sustainable Palm Kernel Oil
within the RSPO scheme
United Plantations, the
Henkel supplier, was the first
plantation getting
endorsement from RSPO for
their sustainability audit
5
Monitoring Surfactant Loads in
Surface Waters (Rhine at Düsseldorf)
140
600
MBAS
LAS
120
BiAS
500
400
80
300
60
BiAS [g/sec]
MBAS, LAS [g/sec]
100
200
40
100
20
0
0
1958
1963
1968
1973
1978
1983
1988
1993
1998
2003
2008
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Great Potential to deliver added Value &
contribute to Sustainable Development
7
Influencing Consumer Choices:
Attitudes vs. Behaviour
Global retail consumers
segmented by
willingness to pay for
products
with environmental &
social benefits – Survey
of consumers in Brazil,
Canada,
China, France,
Germany, India, the UK
and the US.
Source: The McKinsey
Quarterly, March 2008.
 There is a large gap between consumer attitudes,
willingness and actual behavior change
 The consumer will not compromise on performance,
convenience or price
8
Identify desirable Improvement
Options & suitable Approach(es)
Energy
Source
Hot-Water
System
Shower or
Bath Installation
Product
Design
Consumer behavior
9
Identify desirable Improvement
Options & suitable Approach(es)
Energy
Source
Washing
Machine
Product
Design
Consumer behavior
10
Progress requires Time & Continuity:
Persil Advert 1982
Cooperation to create a consistent
Message: A.I.S.E. WashRight Campaign
12
Utilizing the Communication Portfolio
to provide relevant Guidance
Sustainability in Laundry Washing:
Progress from 1979 to 2008
Dosage (Grams per Wash Cycle)
Water (Liters per Wash Cycle)
Energy per Wash Cycle (1978=100)
Conclusions & Learnings
 The roles of both business and consumers are intrinsically
linked in terms of the sustainable use of products.
 In the future, delivering performance based on both quality
and responsibility will become increasingly important for
consumer choices.
 We need to influence consumers’ choices by
communicating the top performance of our products, the
added value of more sustainable choices and thus enabling
behavioral changes.
 This development offers great potential as a driver for
innovative products - smarter consumer relevant solutions
that link product quality to the shared responsibility of
producers and consumers.
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