Henkel recognized its top suppliers for best-in-class performance in 2019 at the 2020 American Cleaning Institute (ACI) Annual Meeting and Industry Convention, (Jan 27-Feb 2, 2020) in Orlando, Florida. The partners recieved awards in five different categories, according to a Henkel press release.
The winner of the “Sustainability Award” from Henkel Beauty Care was Evonik. Solvay received both the “Sustainability Award” from Laundry & Home Care and the Beauty Care award as “Best Innovation Contributor.” In Laundry & Home Care, the top prize for “Best Innovation Contributor” was given to Nippon Gohsei. The winner of the “Best Supply Performance” in Finance/Purchasing was IFF.
Prof. Dr. Thomas Müller-Kirschbaum, Corporate Senior Vice President R&D Laundry & Home Care, opened the award ceremony with a review of 2019 and an update of Henkel’s strategy. He then welcomed 200 representatives of more than 30 major suppliers.
Evonik and Solvay Win “Sustainability Award 2019”
Evonik won the award for sustainability of Henkel’s business unit Beauty Care. It received the prize in recognition of a novel conditioner with a sustainability profile that includes ready biodegradability, lower ecotoxicity, cold-processability, and a renewability, without palm-based feedstock. “Henkel Beauty Care is focusing innovation initiatives on more eco-friendly products,” said Dr. Thomas Förster, Corporate Vice President R&D Beauty Care, in the press release. “We bring more and more certified, vegan and bio-based products to the market.”
Müller-Kirschbaum awarded Solvay for a new preservative-free additive that helps to improve rinsing and shine in toilet care applications: “This material is providing a perceived consumer benefit and keeps the toilet bowl cleaner for longer”, he said. “This helps saving water and reduces the carbon footprint in use for the consumer.”
The second prize in Beauty Care’s sustainability category went to Agrana for a sustainable styling polymer. Inolex received an award for its silicone alternative, which is used in its range of Schwarzkopf dry shampoo foams.
Two suppliers won second prize in Laundry & Home Care for raw materials free from the preservative MIT: BASF for a new dye transfer inhibitor for laundry care, and Milliken for two new dyes used in toilet care products.
“Sustainability Future Award” to Prof. Regina Palkovits of RWTH Aachen
Prof. Regina Palkovits, Chair of Heterogeneous Catalysis and Chemical Technology at RWTH Aachen University, was enthusiastic about the sustainable future surfactant technology that was developed within the HICAST collaboration with Laundry & Home Care: “Our partnership with Henkel is a great example of what can be achieved by joining forces, and we are eager to see this technology entering into real market products soon,” she commented in the release.
Solvay Wins “Best Innovation Contributor Beauty Care 2019”
During the award ceremony, Dr. Thomas Förster explained the advantages of the Polycare Split Therapy developed by Solvay. Henkel Beauty Care uses this technology category overarching for never-seen-before color and hair care products. The winners of the second prize were Dow for a styling additive used in Schwarzkopf Osis volumizing styling powder, and Seppic, for Aquaxyl that provides moisturizing properties from hair coloration.
Nippon Gohsei Wins “Best Innovation Contributor Laundry & Home Care 2019”
“Our biggest global innovation in 2019 was the launch of Persil Discs 4-in-1 which keeps us ahead in the field of mono-dose technology. With Nippon Gohsei we achieved a major step in further developing the best soluble film technology,” said Mattia De Dominicis, Corporate Vice President Formulation in R&D Laundry & Home Care, in the release. Dow Chemical was honored as runner-up for the development of a new high-performance rinse surfactant enabling significantly better shine in automatic dishwashing liquids. Ashland also received a second prize for its captivates technology that provides visible benefits in Henkel’s Power & Pearls hand dishwashing 
detergents.
IFF Wins the “Best Supply Performance 2019” Award
Key elements for outstanding supply performance include excellent operational management and best-in-class service combined with continued progress in risk management and sustainability. “IFF excelled in 2019 with top performance in operational supply as well great support in risk management of aroma chemicals,” said Robert Bossuyt, Corporate Vice President Global Purchasing Laundry & Home Care, in the press release. The runners-up were Novozymes, for its help with regional supply bottlenecks, and Takasago, in recognition of its efforts in securing supply of critical aroma chemicals. All three award winners committed already to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) which Henkel is driving with its supplier base.
Bertrand Conquéret, President Global Supply Chain and Corporate Vice President Purchasing at Henkel, thanked all suppliers for their continued strong support. He encouraged the partners to continue to mitigate risk and volatility, to further drive sustainability and digitalization, and to innovate together in the interest of creating superior products for Henkel’s consumers.
