Dialogue with all stakeholders
Viable and permanent solutions to the challenges of sustainable development can only be found through a dialogue with all social groups. To be able to assess the interests of the different stakeholders and evaluate them in relation to one another on a case-by-case basis, Henkel continuously seeks a dialogue with stakeholders at the local, regional and international levels.
Key stakeholders include employees, shareholders, customers, consumers, suppliers, neighbors, government authorities, politicians, associations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), scientists, and the general public. One basic principle has always applied: we communicate openly and actively - even when we have made mistakes.
We regard the dialogue with our stakeholders as an opportunity to identify the requirements of our various markets early and define key areas for our activities. This dialogue not only strengthens communication and understanding between Henkel and its stakeholders, but simultaneously makes an important contribution to the Company’s risk management.
Integrated, systematic dialogue
Although the issues associated with sustainability are global, regional priorities and perspectives differ widely. We have therefore integrated our dialogue with stakeholders into our functions, business sectors and regions. In this way, we ensure that challenges are discussed in a dialogue between our experts in the Company and the appropriate stakeholder groups. Strategies and solutions are developed at the very place where they will be assessed and put into practice. The instruments, themes, duration and intensity of the dialogue are aligned to the individual stakeholder groups and their specific issues. The following table shows examples of our integrated dialogue approach and the communication instruments aligned to our stakeholders.
