Henkel Advances Decarbonized Operations with Carbon-Neutral Site in Kurkumbh, India

• Fossil fuel-free production: Both sites achieved zero Scope 1 emissions through full electrification and elimination of Furnace Oil and natural gas usage
• 100% Powered by renewables: Full renewable electricity sourcing reduces Scope 2 emissions to zero, supported by solar, thermal and certified green energy.
• Driving global impact: Milestones support 2030 sustainability goals of Henkel Adhesive Technologies and demonstrate scalable decarbonization in action.

Henkel has reached a major milestone in advancing its global sustainability strategy within the Adhesive Technologies business by achieving carbon-neutral production at Kurkumbh, India and Gebkim, Türkiye. The production sites have successfully eliminated Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, marking a significant step forward in Henkel’s ambition to decarbonize its operations by 2030.

These achievements are further contributing to Henkel‘s science-based climate targets. This focuses on reducing operational greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency, electrification, and the phasing out of fossil fuels, while scaling renewable energy across all production sites globally.

At Kurkumbh, carbon-neutral operations were achieved by replacing furnace oil–based thermic fluid heaters with high-efficiency electric systems, eliminating fossil fuel use. 

This transformation required a comprehensive upgrade of the site’s energy infrastructure, including the optimization of heat loads, the installation of advanced high-efficiency heat exchangers and significant investments in electrical capacity to support full electrification. Combined with the transition to 100% renewable electricity, these measures enabled the complete elimination of both Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of approximately 11,300 tons of CO₂ equivalent, marking a major milestone in the site’s decarbonization journey.

At its Gebkim Plant in Türkiye, Henkel has implemented a landmark electrification project by fully replacing a natural gas–fired boiler with a high-efficiency electric boiler system. This transition eliminated direct fossil fuel use at the site and reduced Scope 1 emissions to zero resulting in an annual reduction of approximately 956 tons of CO₂ equivalent.

“Achieving carbon-neutral production at two of our key Flagship sites in IMEA is a strong step forward in delivering on Henkel Adhesive Technologies’ global sustainability ambitions,” commented Simon Ulmann, VP Supply Chain & Operations IMEA, Henkel Adhesive Technologies on the latest milestone.
“Our ambition is clear: we are systematically eliminating fossil fuels from all our operations and replacing them with electrified processes powered by renewable energy. Our manufacturing milestone in both Kurkumbh and Gebkim show how we can translate our strategy into tangible impact at site level, accelerating our journey toward net-zero operations.”

Achieving carbon neutrality at our Kurkumbh site underscores our strong commitment to sustainable growth, responsible manufacturing, and operational excellence,” said Bappa Bandyopadhyay, Director Operations & Projects India, Henkel Adhesive Technologies. “Through renewable energy adoption and continuous efficiency improvements, we have significantly reduced our carbon footprint while upholding the highest standards of safety, quality, and performance. This milestone shows that sustainability and business performance can advance together to create long-term value,” he added.

By scaling electrification and renewable energy adoption, Henkel is accelerating the decarbonization of its global production network. These transformations play a critical role in achieving the company’s broader net-zero ambition of reducing the carbon footprint of its operations and value chain while enabling customers to meet their own sustainability goals. This milestone underlines Henkel’s commitment to leading the transformation toward sustainable industry, demonstrating that fossil fuel-free manufacturing is both achievable and scalable across regions.