From our Vision and our ten Corporate Values, we have formulated globally binding behavioral rules which are specified in a series of codes. In all business areas and cultures in which we operate, they provide guidance for the behavior and actions of all employees. The Code of Conduct helps employees to respond correctly and appropriately when faced with ethical and legal issues. The Code of Teamwork and Leadership provides guidance for the conduct of managerial and non-managerial staff at all levels. The Code of Corporate Sustainability describes our principles and expectations of sustainable business practices and corporate social responsibility. It is given concrete form by Company-wide standards. Besides the standards for safety, health and environment, they include social standards and purchasing standards.

Together, the Codes and standards are the basis for Henkel’s implementation of the United Nations’ Global Compact initiative.

Henkel operates in a variety of markets and regions with diverse legal systems, social standards and customs. Attitudes toward granting and accepting incentives, gifts and favors, for example, vary widely from region to region. Many Henkel employees work in countries where, according to studies such as those carried out by Transparency International, there is a high risk of corruption.

In 2000, Henkel therefore established a Code of Conduct, which helps employees worldwide to respond correctly and appropriately when faced with ethical or legal issues, and in their strategic decision-making processes. We revised our Code of Conduct in 2004 to reflect the continuously changing legal and economic environment in which a global company operates. More detailed and precise requirements provide clear guidelines for dealings with or relating to customers, colleagues, shareholders, competitors, the environment and society. Henkel strictly rejects all forms of corruption. The Code therefore clearly forbids Henkel employees from offering, granting or accepting inducements.

We introduced the revised Code of Conduct throughout the Company in 2005. It is binding for all employees. The Code has been translated into a number of languages. To establish a uniform understanding of our corporate values and behavioral rules among our employees, the staff members responsible for human resources and communications in the different countries have developed training and communication activities. Articles in employee newspapers explain the behavioral rules and their significance for the Company. Newsletters for special target groups contribute to knowledge transfer and point out where action is required. These activities are supplemented by courses designed specifically for the individual target groups. In the USA, for example, all new employees must participate in an interactive online training course on the Code of Conduct. In Asia, Latin America, and North America, as well as at headquarters in  Germany, the Corporate Internal Audit department organized seminars lasting several days in 2007 to familiarize top managers with the Company-wide standards. In addition, the managers and specialists in the Human Resources departments or the Corporate Internal Audit department can provide advice in case of doubt.
File Name Image: Cover Code of Conduct

In 1986, Henkel introduced the first corporate principles on environmental and consumer protection, which later became the “Principles and Objectives of Environmental Protection and Safety”. In 2004, these were expanded to include aspects of social responsibility. We introduced the revised principles throughout the Company as the Code of Corporate Sustainability in 2005. The Code defines the principles of sustainable business practice at Henkel. It expresses our view of corporate responsibility in specific terms and shall assist us in successfully managing our operations in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. The Code covers nine aspects:

• Economic success through sustainability
• Individual responsibility and motivation
• Safe and environmentally compatible products and technologies
• Safe and efficient plants and production processes
• Treatment of business partners and market behavior
• Sustainable business processes
• Technology and knowledge transfer
• Management systems for clear responsibilities and continuous improvement
• Open dialogue

The Code of Corporate Sustainability is given concrete form by internal standards. The standards are based on the existing requirements for safety, health and the environment (SHE standards), which apply to all of our sites worldwide.

Since 2006, the extensively revised SHE standards are supplemented by company-wide Purchasing Standards and Social Standards. In these we have integrated central requirements derived from the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Social Accountability Standard (SA 8000), and the guidelines of the International Labor Organization (ILO).

In developing the standards, one major focus was dealings with suppliers and business partners. The business sectors supplement the corporate standards with business-specific quality requirements.

To download our Codes and contents of our Standards click here.