Why Henkel has been awarded Schneider's Sustainability Award
Henkel, the company behind Persil, Schwarzkopf and Purex, recognises that a substantial share of its emissions originate from its value chain, including raw materials, packaging, logistics and end-of-life activities (Scope 3 emissions).
As a result, it is implementing strategies to address these emissions by sourcing sustainable materials, optimising logistics and promoting circular economy practices.
Henkel has reduced CO₂ emissions in production per ton of product by 64% compared to 2017.
Henkel’s ongoing leadership in sustainability has been recognised with a Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Award.
Sustainability Impact Award
Henkel’s comprehensive sustainability achievements have been recognised with a Schneider Electric Sustainability Impact Award
The award is a prestigious honour awarded based on leadership in energy use reduction, operational efficiency and embracing circularity across the value chain.
“Henkel is humbled and honored to receive this award,” says Pia Oelze, Head of Key Account Management Power & Industrial Automation EMEA at Henkel.
“It represents personal achievement, exceptional teamwork between Henkel and Schneider Electric to explore solutions-oriented sustainability programs and the collective progress we have made to create a better tomorrow.”
Beyond operational decarbonisation, the partnership between the two companies involves ongoing projects to share best practices, promote renewable energy sourcing and foster sustainable product innovation.
Their collaboration sets an industry benchmark for impactful corporate sustainability initiatives and Henkel remains committed to continuing this vital work across its operations and supplier ecosystem to create lasting, positive change.
Henkel’s net zero pathway
Henkel is advancing strongly towards its ambition to become climate-positive by 2030 and achieve net zero emissions across its entire value chain by 2045.
Since 2010, it has successfully reduced Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 61%, driven by the implementation of energy efficiency tools, the adoption of alternative energy and biofuels and a strategic focus on electrification across operations.
Henkel has committed to science-based targets, not only reducing emissions from its own activities but also cutting the environmental footprint of raw materials and packaging.
“I would like to congratulate Henkel for its outstanding effort in making strides to reach its sustainability goals over the past year,” says Mourad Tamoud, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Schneider Electric.
“Reaching net zero is a collective goal, and we need to work together to share the best sustainable practices and support each other in decarbonisation.
“Henkel has played a noteworthy role in this journey over the past year.”
Its supplier engagement programme evaluates the Scope 3 upstream emissions impact of suppliers, encouraging decarbonisation beyond its immediate operations.
Henkel’s use of Schneider Electric’s digital automation solutions and consultancy services, such as Virtual Power Purchase Agreements and the AVEVA energy management platform, enables precise monitoring and optimisation of its energy use.
Participation in Schneider Electric’s Zero Carbon Project further reinforces Henkel’s commitment to knowledge sharing, training and collaboration within its supply chain to accelerate emissions reduction.
Schneider Electric’s Zero Carbon Project
Schneider’s Zero Carbon Project (ZCP) is a major supply chain decarbonisation initiative that was launched in 2021.
The ZCP has been recognised as a leading global supply chain sustainability initiative – winning awards for its impact and innovation.
The primary aim of the ZCP is to partner with the company’s top 1,000 suppliers, representing about 70% of Schneider’s total carbon emissions, to reduce their operational CO₂ emissions (Scopes 1 & 2) by 50% by 2025.
Key objectives for the ZCP involve:
- Ambition: Achieve a 50% reduction in operational GHG emissions among the top 1,000 suppliers by 2025 – a first step toward Schneider’s broader goal of a net zero supply chain by 2050
- Scope 1 & 2: The project focuses on suppliers’ Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect, from purchased energy) emissions – these together account for approximately seven million tons of CO₂ annually across Schneider’s supply chain.
- Scope 3: The majority of Schneider’s carbon footprint lies in its supply chain (Scope 3 emissions), making supplier engagement critical for achieving climate goals.
- Support and Resources
Schneider Electric provides suppliers with:
- Digital tools to quantify and track carbon emissions.
- Technical training (more than 30 hours of capacity-building sessions and eight technical webinars) on decarbonisation methods, energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption.
- Access to best practice exchanges, peer learning and innovative solutions for emissions reduction.
- Consulting support through Schneider’s Energy & Sustainability Services division.
“70% of the 1,000 suppliers who have signed up to The Zero Carbon Project are at the beginning stages of their carbon reduction journey,” comments Mourad Tamoud.
“These suppliers are leaning on us to provide support as they work to set and achieve their own carbon targets.”
Suppliers participating in the ZCP are expected to publicly commit to and solidify ambitious emissions reduction targets, to then share their progress data with Schneider Electric.
The ZCP fosters a collaborative ecosystem, enabling suppliers to learn from each other and from Schneider’s own decarbonisation journey – the company itself has reduced operational emissions by more than 50% in recent years
The initiative of zero carbon also aligns with the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by 2100
Receiving the Sustainability Impact Award marks an important milestone in Henkel’s climate-positive journey.
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