Recognizing Henkel as the supplier to have made the biggest contribution to sustainability, the award was presented at the retailer’s vendor meeting in Arkansas at the beginning of the month.
A Henkel spokesperson told CosmeticsDesign.com USA that the company presented its sustainability contributions to Walmart executives, including its different products and details of efforts to replace certain ingredients with sustainable alternatives.
“We are quite honored to be receiving this award for the second year in a row,” Henkel president and CEO, Brad Casper said in a statement. “Sustainability is in our DNA and we are very proud to continue to support Walmart’s significant and industry-leading sustainability efforts.”
Environmentally friendly products
According to Henkel, several of its products supplied to Walmart represent ‘significant savings’ in areas such as material use, water consumption and waste volumes, compared to conventional products.
Examples of sustainable personal care products include several in its Dial personal care brand, which is sold across the US and Canada.
Dial Hand Soap Refills, for example, save over 60 percent packaging material that conventional refill bottles, said Henkel, while Dial Complete Foaming Hand Wash requires 40 percent less water than normal.
Awarded for sustainability
The company has long been recognized for its sustainability efforts. In 2008, The German Sustainability Congress named the company Germany’s ‘most sustainable brand’.
The award recognizes companies that combine economic success with social responsibility and protection of the environment.
At the time the award was announced, Henkel said its success was built on the creation of a system that encompasses all stages of the supply chain and focuses on key fields in sustainability such as energy and climate, water and materials and waste.
Henkel’s 2009 Sustainability Report (which referred to 2005-2009 sustainability figures), revealed that the company had cut carbon dioxide emissions 25 percent, decreased water consumption by 37 percent and lowered waste volumes by 12 percent.