To truly understand, you have to listen attentively. That’s why companies are so keen to engage in dialogue with their stakeholders. An open approach to sharing opinions and exchanging insights is the key to understanding the expectations of different interest groups as they evolve over time. Whether through focus groups, surveys or participation in discussion platforms: Businesses gather insights into the concerns and priorities of their stakeholders – and reflect these insights in their day-to-day activities.
INITIATIVES AND PARTNERSHIPS
Expectations for social and environmental responsibility are changing again and again. That’s why companies rely on open dialogue with communities, suppliers, customers and many other stakeholders to make sure they provide solutions to the challenges that matter most.
Discuss, engage, involve
At Henkel, our approach to sustainability is shaped by our interactions with our stakeholders. We’re convinced that open, ongoing dialogue with all groups that have an interest in our business is the key to making sure we’re working on the challenges that matter most. Through direct conversation, participation in multi-stakeholder initiatives and support for dialog platforms, we aim to share our unique knowledge and gather insights – and then integrate what we’ve learned into our products, services and business activities. We want to understand our stakeholders. That’s why we truly listen.
Dialogue with our stakeholders
Understanding and mapping the social demands that stakeholders of all kinds place on our company is a key component of our sustainability management. Both internal stakeholders, such as employees and external stakeholders, such as customers and suppliers, are considered. We also hold numerous memberships in industry associations, are part of global organizations, such as the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the World Economic Forum (WEF), and engage in political and social dialog, for example, with organizations at the European level.
To better understand the expectations and perspectives of our stakeholders and to engage in dialog that is more targeted and solution-oriented, we continuously monitor the opinions at several levels, for example through surveys, in direct dialog, in multi-stakeholder initiatives and through dialog platforms.
Open engagement with stakeholders helps us understand their expectations and perspectives and enables solution-oriented dialog. This dialog fosters mutual understanding between stakeholders and our Company, building societal acceptance for our corporate decisions. It also serves as a source of new ideas, contributes to innovation and risk management and underpins the development of our sustainability strategy and reporting.
Cooperation along the value chain and beyond
We are convinced that we can only drive sustainable change by forging strong partnerships along our entire value chain: from the purchase of raw materials and packaging materials all the way through to our company, including production, logistics and use of our products by consumers, as well as reuse in material cycles.
Involving the next generation
More and more initiatives are being launched to encourage today’s consumers to change their habits now. However, it’s also important to think about future generations. That’s why educational activities that promote sustainable behavior and raise awareness about the challenges facing our planet are also gaining popularity. Henkel’s Forscherwelt (“researchers’ world”), for example, encourages children to explore the world of science by making research fun. The international program includes teaching units and materials for elementary schools. The contents of the program reflect the focal points of Henkel's research areas, while also exploring sustainability.
