Henkel has participated in international sustainability initiatives for many years. These are complemented by national, sector and product-related initiatives, in which Henkel and its business sectors are represented.

In the run up to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992), Henkel was one of the first companies to sign the International Chamber of Commerce's Business Charter for Sustainable Development in 1991. Taking the 16 management principles of the ICC Business Charter for Sustainable Development as a basis, Henkel has conducted a self-evaluation in 2002 of how far it has progressed toward sustainability during the past years.

In 1993, Henkel joined the World Industry Council for the Environment. In 1996, the Council merged with another industry initiative to form the WBCSD, of which Henkel is therefore also a founding member.

In 1995, Henkel committed to the chemical industry's international Responsible Care initiative. Product stewardship, plant safety, occupational and environmental protection, transport safety and dialogue are firmly anchored in its corporate standards.

In 2003, Henkel joined the United Nations´ Global Compact. By participating in the Global Compact, Henkel publicly committed to uphold human rights and fundamental principles and rights at work, to protect the environment and to work against all forms of corruption.