Sustainability in everyday life

Sustainability Ambassadors in North America

More than 200 elementary school children in Arizona recently learned how to save energy and water and how they can reduce waste in everyday life. They were taught by so called “sustainability ambassadors”, Henkel employees conveying the topic of sustainability to young children. Employee volunteers from the Henkel Consumer Goods headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona visited the schools to explain what sustainability really means and how every individual can make a personal contribution to it.

The Scottsdale employees visited fourth graders at Copper Canyon Elementary School and Desert Canyon Elementary School in Scottsdale to present fun, interactive and educational lessons on sustainability. The kids learned how they can save water and energy in the bathroom and kitchen or when doing laundry, for example. In order to transport knowledge how entire families can be more sustainable, they also received materials to share with their parents.

The international ambassador program entitled “Educate for a more sustainable life” was introduced during the Laundry & Home Care Management Conference of Henkel last year. The program’s goal is to promote sustainability among grade school students and their families. Children of this age can act as role models at home, triggering a multiplying effect that benefits the entire community.

In Scottsdale, more than 50 employees have been trained as sustainability ambassadors so far. “This has been an energizing project to roll out in North America. We received an overwhelming response from employees who have stepped up to become sustainability ambassadors. Their passion and commitment to lead sustainability through their everyday work and life has been self-evident,” said Dr. Pete He, Senior Research Fellow, Sustainability, who leads the program.

By the end of the year, Pete He hopes to expand the program to the other North American businesses and elementary schools across the region. The program is designed to be easily adapted and taught in any country. Over 600 Henkel employees across the world have been trained as sustainability ambassadors since the start of the program in July 2012. To become an ambassador, Henkel employees take a questionnaire, attend trainings and explain how they promote a sustainable environment where they live and work. The goal of the company is to train 1,000 employees worldwide by the end of 2013.