Dear shareholders and shareholder representatives, dear members of the media and distinguished guests. My name is Simone Bagel-Trah. As the chairperson of the AGM, as per the articles of association, I would like to open this year's annual general meeting of Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, and would like to welcome you on behalf of the Supervisory Board, the Shareholders' Committee and the Management Board. Before we address the formalities of the AGM, I would like to say a few special words about this special anniversary this year. 2026 is a very exceptional year for us. 150 years ago, in September 1876, my great-great-grandfather, Fritz Henkel, founded his company. Ever since, Henkel has grown from one generation to the next and has had a success story.
From the very beginnings with washing soda as a first product, it has turned into a global group with more than EUR 20 billion in revenues and more than 40,000 employees. With strong and well-known brands in the consumer goods industry and with a clear position as a global market leader in the fields of adhesives, sealants and coatings. Our corporate history embodies continuity, pioneering spirit and the courage to embark on new path. As a family enterprise, we have responsibility for our employees, society and future generations. We are very proud how our employees fill the Henkel spirit with life and share and continue this spirit. With our pioneering and business spirit, we want to create good and valuable things for the sake of today's and also future generations, or as expressed in our purpose, pioneers at heart for the good of generations.
Sometimes I really wonder how my great-great-grandfather would look upon his company from today's perspective. I'm confident that he would be thrilled to go through our laboratories and facilities around the world and would be proud to look at everything that our employees have been creating for the last 150 years. Thanks to artificial intelligence, we can revive Fritz Henkel, at least in images today, and I would like to invite you to join him on his tour of our corporate history.
[Presentation]
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, this brings us to the usual organizational information on this AGM. Whenever I talk about shareholders, representatives or employees, this is meant in a gender-neutral sense, for the sake of better understandability. On the convocation of this AGM. The convocation to this AGM was published in the Federal Gazette on the 11th of March 2026. The convocation was also disseminated throughout Europe on the same day and published on our website. The required notifications, particularly to credit institutes, shareholder associations to be forwarded to our shareholders, have been done in due time.
Evidence on the publication of the convocation in the Federal Gazette, that includes the agenda and the proposed resolutions as well as the certificate on the European dissemination, are available to our acting notary, Dr. Hauschild, and I'd like to welcome him. I would therefore like to state that the convocation of this AGM has been done in due time and course in line with the law and the articles of association. There are no counter motions or counter candidates proposed that require notification. The acting members of the supervisory board are in attendance. Mr. Martinez, who lives in France, will participate or attend by video transmission. The members of the management board are all in attendance. Ladies and gentlemen, regarding the composition of the supervisory board and the shareholder committee, the following changes have occurred since the last AGM.
While there have not been any changes in the Supervisory Board since the last AGM, there is an upcoming change in the Shareholders' Committee. Mr. Jean-François van Boxmeer, who has been a member of the Shareholders' Committee since 15th of April 2013, resigned from his mandate effective as of the closure of this AGM. Consequently, there is an upcoming by-election to the Shareholders' Committee. We would like to thank Mr. van Boxmeer for more than 13 years of confidential and constructive cooperation in the Shareholders' Committee. Pursuant to item eight of the agenda, Dr. Stefan Hartung, who is a member of the management board of Robert Bosch GmbH, is proposed as a new member to the Shareholders' Committee. We are very pleased that Dr. Hartung is actually an excellent candidate. He has the required expertise in the management and stewardship of international players.
He will also add relevant and extensive experience that is valuable for Henkel in the areas of mobility, industrial engineering and energy and constructive engineering. Dr. Hartung was born in Dortmund in 1966 and obtained a PhD after graduating in mechanical engineering. He has manifold experience and has an international profile which he obtained at Bosch and also at McKinsey, and therefore his competence is a good complementation to the competence profile of the shareholder committee. Dr. Hartung, he's sitting here in the front, would like to introduce himself to our shareholders by means of a video message.
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An updated CV of Dr. Hartung and further de-details have been attached to the convocation. Now, regarding the management board, there have not been any changes since the last AGM. Ladies and gentlemen, so much on the current and upcoming changes to our executive committees. I would like to welcome Mrs. Schlotter and Professor Dr. Röse, who represent our auditor, PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH. I would also like to thank all employees who have been involved in the organization of this AGM. Before we address the agenda, I would like to give you some general information. In our leaflet information on attendance and procedure, there is relevant information on the procedure of this AGM. This leaflet or this information leaflet has been available since the convocation of our AGM on our website, and it's also available in printed form. Please bear in mind the recommendations therein.
I would like to reiterate the most important points, and I would like to point out that my instructions as chairwoman of this AGM will have priority. The attendance area is the first floor of the Stadthalle, accessible to all shareholders within the access controls. I would like to point out that it is possible to cast votes only in this meeting hall. We will also have audio and video transmissions to the rooms on the first floor of Stadthalle within the access controls and in some ancillary rooms of this attendance area we will have only audio transmission. You leave this AGM once you pass the exit or the checkout points on the first floor. This AGM is a non-smoking meeting.
Smoking is only permitted outside of meeting rooms, and I would kindly ask you to consume any food and drinks only in the restaurant area. Also, I'd kindly ask you to switch off mobile phones or mute them as long as you're here. Voting will be done on tablets, and we will have digital votes. That's why you will not have any voting card blocks as holders of ordinary shares or as pre-order holders of ordinary shares. Instead, the top third of your admission card was removed, and also the lower part of your admission card is the evidence of your attendance. Please keep it with you at all times for the duration of this AGM.
This part contains a QR code that is associated with your ordinary or preferred shares, and you can use this form or the QR code to exercise your shareholder rights during the AGM and in the case of ordinary shares, voting rights. In case you have several admission cards, please check whether you have submitted all your admission cards at the check-in desk for all of your shares to be considered. In case you haven't done that, please do so immediately or at once we get to the vote at the latest. As we will use the subtraction process as in previous AGMs, we need to keep very strict check-in and check-out controls, and therefore, I kindly ask you for your cooperation.
Please do not leave this AGM before checking out at the exit desk by submitting all your admission cards. Those who leave without checking out will be considered in attendance. Consequently, these ordinary shares will be considered as affirmative votes during the vote unless there is no other voting process. Those who want to leave the AGM may issue an authorization to a third party, and you can actually ask for assistance at the speaker's desk or the checkout controls where our assistants will give you a proxy form. Please fill in this form and hand over your admission card to the authorized person. The form then has to be submitted when checking out, and upon request, you will receive a substitute where you get a public transport ticket and access data to the Henkel Investor Portal.
If you wish, you can actually receive validation of the counting of your votes through that. You will also get an attendance certificate. As holder of ordinary shares, you may also authorize the proxy holders appointed by the company to vote on your behalf by giving them the corresponding proxy. This is possible through an electronic form for which you can use the terminal at the exit controls. Alternatively, you can do that on the back of your admission card, and please hand over your admission card when checking out. Please provide instructions on every agenda item. If you don't provide instructions for voting, the authorized persons will abstain from voting on an agenda item. In case you own several admission cards, these instructions shall apply to all admission cards.
I would like to also emphasize Article 135, subsection 5 of the Stock Corporation Act. Any authorized intermediaries, consultants or persons that offer shareholders to exercise their voting rights are only able to sub-authorize persons who are not their employees if this is explicitly stated in the proxy. In order to make the explanations, in particular on the annual financial statements, available to shareholders who are not in attendance, the keynote speech by the CEO, Dr. Knobel, will be transmitted on the internet. Shareholders who are not in attendance may issue proxies to proxy holders appointed by the company or authorized person or vote by mail. This will be possible until the conclusion of Mr. Knobel's speech. I will ask our technical support to deactivate this option once he concludes.
There is no public transmission or recording of other parts of the AGM. It is not permitted to make video or audio recordings of this AGM. The attendance directory is currently being prepared and will be updated on a regular basis. I will announce attendance before the first vote, and the updated attendance directory is available at the attendance desk at the entrance and the information desk. As usual, we will enter the debate in the form of a general debate once the CEO concludes his keynote speech. Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to speak on agenda items after Mr. Knobel's speech, I kindly ask you to submit your request for the floor at the speaker's desk.
Please submit your admission ticket, your name, and the number of your admission ticket, as well as the agenda items on which you wish to speak. The speaker's desk is on the right-hand side of the stage. If you wish to file motions, procedural motions, or countermotions, please formulate them and write them and hand them over to the speaker's desk. You may also ask for assistance or for your requests to be written down in writing. This makes it easier for us to see what needs to be done with the motion and to decide whether the person who filed the motion will be given priority. A motion will be considered as filed if it has been presented to the AGM.
After conclusion of the general debate, we will have a vote on all agenda items in one ballot, and I will also elaborate on the details later on. Much on the formalities. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now call up the agenda. The agenda has 10 items. The relevant agenda items and proposed resolutions are also contained in the convocation. The complete wording of the agenda has been published in the Federal Gazette and is also available on our website, and I take it that you're familiar with it. As I said before, we will have a general debate on all agenda items, and therefore, I call up all agenda items.
Regarding agenda items one and two, I would like to emphasize that the following documents have been available on our website since the convocation: the annual financial statements and the consolidated financial statements, the combined management report for the single entity and the group, as well as the disclosures according to section 289a and 315 of the German Commercial Code, the proposed appropriation of the annual profit, and the report of the supervisory board for fiscal 2025. Our sustainability report, which is a summarized non-financial declaration under the implementation of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards, is also contained in the management report.
Other important information and documents required in line with today's or required for today's AGM have also been made available since the convocation and are available on our website. It's possible to look at them at the terminals at the information desk. There are some special items on today's agenda, the resolution on the by-election to the Shareholders' Committee, the proposed resolution on the amendment of Article 6, subsection 4 of the articles of association on the exclusion of the certification of electronic shares, and the proposed resolution on the agreement to a hive-down agreement to transfer the business units Consumer Brands and Adhesive Technologies of the company to Henkel Consumer Brands GmbH and Henkel Adhesive Technologies GmbH.
This is associated with ancillary agreements in connection with the securing of pension commitments and entitlements arising from working time accounts accrued in the course of partial retirement, as well as the business lease agreements under which the parent company temporarily leases back the previously hive-down business operations from both companies. I will come back to these agenda items later. Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Knobel will now present his report on fiscal 2025 and also address other important topics relevant for the company. We have provided Mr. Knobel's speech on our website, and it will also be possible after the AGM. Mr. Knobel, you have the floor.
Ladies and gentlemen, shareholders, dear friends of Henkel, a very warm welcome to our annual general meeting. I am very pleased to welcome you here in Düsseldorf today. Also on behalf of the entire management board and our employees. Of course, I'd like to welcome all guests who are following our annual general meeting virtually. Today's annual general meeting is a special one in a very special year. As Ms. Bagel-Trah has already mentioned, we're celebrating 150 years of Henkel. I shall soon report in detail on the company's performance in the past financial year. Before I do so, I'd like to say a few personal words and express some thoughts on the occasion of our anniversary. We're looking back on the past 150 years with pride and gratitude on a long and successful history.
Today, Henkel is the world's leading manufacturer of adhesives, sealants, and coatings. We're also one of Europe's most important consumer goods companies with a strong footprint in many markets around the world. We've been listed on the stock exchange for 40 years and have been a member of the DAX since its inception. During this time, we've paid a dividend to you, our shareholders, year after year, and it's generally been higher than in the previous year. We are recognized for the innovative strength of our products and solutions. True to our tradition as a family-owned company, we also stand for sustainability, attractive and stable jobs with exemplary social benefits as well as for social responsibility. I'm very proud and quite grateful to be part of this company's history now for more than 30 years.
On the grounds of personal experience, all I can say is that Henkel is a truly special company. Above all, because of the people who've made Henkel what it is today, ever since its founding in 1876. First and foremost, our company founder, Fritz Henkel. Obviously, his descendants who shaped the company's history for almost a century. Generations of employees who, since the company's founding, have made Henkel's successful development possible through their dedication and commitment. Already during his lifetime, our company founder, Fritz Henkel, said, "The best that's been achieved through my work didn't spring from my own ideas, but from the collaboration of my employees." Even if this might sound a little complicated today, the core message remains unchanged. The success of our company hinges on the trust and collaboration and commitment of all Henkel employees.
They carry the pioneering spirit of our early days into the future. They turn innovation into new products and solutions for the benefit of our industrial customers, consumers, and families around the world. They keep finding answers to the question of how we can combine growth with sustainable consumption. In everything we do today, they keep the well-being of future generations firmly in mind. We are thanking our employees for this in our anniversary year. For example, by an extra day of vacation on their birthday, or with an attractive bonus through our employee share program. Of course, we'll also be celebrating worldwide at our sites around the anniversary in September, together with our employees and their families. We are very proud of our past, but this is no reason for us to stand still.
Rather, 150 years of successful history are a source of inspiration for us to shape our future with confidence and entrepreneurial spirit. If you look at our historical record, you see that Henkel has repeatedly changed and reinvented itself. That's how it has always been and will remain. We need the willingness to explore new paths with courage and confidence to actively shape our own development. This is especially true in the very volatile and uncertain times we've been facing for several years now, 'cause those who don't change will eventually no longer be able to decide for themselves what their future looks like. Just as it was for the generations before us who made Henkel what it is today, it's our responsibility to set the course for tomorrow. That's what we're doing. We are ready for the future, or as we say, future ready.
This is the slogan of our anniversary. Yeah, that's our path forward. With a clear strategic focus on growth, with our strong brands and innovative technologies, but in particular, with a strong global team. I shall explain how we're achieving this in the course of my presentation using a number of examples. Before, I'd like to give some of our employees a voice. We asked them what Henkel means to them, what excites them about our, their work, and what drives them. Our colleagues around the world live the Henkel spirit every single day for a successful Henkel company. See for yourselves.
[Presentation]
Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, this brings me to my report. First, let me share the three most important messages for today. First, Henkel once again performed well in a very challenging environment. We continue to grow profitably, driven by both business units, while at the same time investing sustainably in the future. Second, in recent years, since I took over in my capacity as CEO at the beginning of 2020, we've not only successfully and safely guided Henkel through numerous crises, from the COVID pandemic to the war in Ukraine. We have, at the same time, indeed transformed the company and positioned it for the future through structural changes such as the merger of our consumer goods businesses, through comprehensive streamlining of our portfolio, through targeted acquisitions, opening up additional growth and earnings potential for us, and through a fundamental cultural transformation within the company.
We shall continue to transform Henkel in the future in order to align ourselves with the needs and opportunities of our market environment. My third message, today, in the 150th year of our existence, we have a strong foundation for the future. With two business units that are driving Henkel's further development with their iconic brands, their leading technologies, and their innovative strength for you, our shareholders, for our customers in industry and retail, for our consumers, and for families around the world, and for future generations. Let's first turn to the past fiscal year. 2025 was once again marked by major challenges. These included the ongoing war in Ukraine, as well as crises in various parts of the world.
As early as the beginning of last year, a tariff and trade dispute between the United States and many other countries around the world began to emerge. The resulting economic uncertainty and higher costs continue to weigh on customer sentiment and industrial demand to this day. Despite these challenging conditions, 2025 was overall a good year for Henkel. We achieved many important goals or even exceeded them. We continued to resolutely drive forward the transformation of our company, and we also underpinned this progress with economic success. You already know our business results. We presented them at the beginning of March. Nevertheless, I'd like to highlight the key figures once again. In 2025, we generated group sales to the tune of approximately EUR 20.5 billion.
This corresponds to organic sales growth of 0.9%, that is excluding the effects of acquisitions and divestments and currency fluctuations. Adjusted operating profit at around EUR 3 billion was slightly below the previous year's level. This was primarily due to the significant burden from negative currency effects. We made very significant progress in terms of profitability. The adjusted return on sales increased to 14.8%. This represents an improvement of 0.5 percentage points compared to the previous year. Adjusted earnings per preferred share increased to EUR 5.33. This corresponds to growth of around 4.7% at constant exchange rates. Both business units contributed to these results, but one aspect is particularly important to me. We didn't achieve these good results at the expense of investments in our brands and businesses.
On the contrary, in the past year, we continued to invest strongly in our future across both business units. More on that in a moment. To further key figures. Our free cash flow amounted to around EUR 1.9 billion. That's a truly strong result. At year-end, we were not only debt-free, we even had a positive net financial position of EUR 109 million exceeding the prior year level. That was the case in spite of payouts for a higher dividend and a share buyback program, which was successfully completed in March of this year. In total, more than 11.4 million preferred shares and just over 3 million ordinary shares were repurchased for close to EUR 1 billion. We shall hold these as treasury shares for the time being.
For the current fiscal year 2026, we're once again aiming for organic growth and a further improvement in earnings. More specifically, this means organic sales growth between 1% and 3%, an EBIT margin in the range of 14.5%-16%, and an increase in earnings per preferred share in the low- to high-single-digit % range at constant exchange rates. When we defined this outlook at the beginning of the year, we deliberately chose wider ranges in order to take account for the volatile market environment. At that time, the current crisis in the Middle East and its far-reaching implications weren't yet foreseeable. Prices for oil, gas, and energy have in some cases risen dramatically and fluctuate with every new piece of news from the region. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has significant consequences for global supply chains.
We're following developments across the entire region with great concern. With the outbreak of hostilities, we activated our crisis teams, our task forces in the region, in order to ensure the safety of our employees. We're now hoping that a path towards lasting peace and security can be found. We keep monitoring further developments at close quarters and shall respond with flexibility. The safety and the well-being of our colleagues in the region is our top priority in this context. They deserve and have our full support during these tough times. Now, that takes me back to the past financial year and our proposal for your dividend. I think you will agree, overall, we achieved outstanding results in 2025 and presented an ambitious outlook for 2026, especially when taking into account the challenging economic and geopolitical environment.
Therefore, I'd like to begin by sincerely thanking all Henkel employees for their excellent performance. Thank you. Dear Henkelaner, Henkel employees, with your commitment, we once more managed to take Henkel through a very difficult year in 2025. Based on the successful business and earnings performance as well as our strong financial position, we are today proposing a dividend of EUR 2.07 per preferred share and EUR 2.05 per ordinary share. Compared with the previous year, this represents an increase of 1.5% respectively, and this corresponds to a payout ratio of just below 38%. This is within our target range of 30%-40% of adjusted net income. In addition to dividend, however, the share price is, of course, also an important factor. The performance of the Henkel share over the past year was not satisfactory.
There is nothing to sugarcoat. I understand if this has disappointed you as our shareholders, and that must change. That's why we're working day after day to successfully lead the company into the future. This will also be reflected in the share price. I remain firmly convinced of that because over the past years, even in spite of challenging conditions, we've continued to develop successfully. Now, this brings me to the second key message I have. We have successfully transformed Henkel and shall continue to pursue this path consistently going forward. As I mentioned at the beginning, we've had to overcome a number of major challenges in recent years. In three years, between 2020 and 2022, the primary focus was on crisis management, the COVID pandemic, and the resulting disruptions to global supply chains.
With the war against Ukraine, we faced dramatic increases in energy and raw material costs, as well as concerns about a potential gas shortage. I should think we managed this period quite well, this period of difficulty. As a team, we safely guided Henkel through all these crises. At the same time, we, however, positioned our company for the future. One of the biggest changes in our recent corporate history was the merger of our two consumer businesses into a single business unit, namely Henkel Consumer Brands. The new business unit was launched at the beginning of 2023, and positive effects already came to bear in the first year. We've now completed the integration after just three years, one year earlier than originally planned, and with higher savings than originally anticipated by the end of 2025.
These amounted to approximately EUR 540 million per year. Much more importantly, however, is that since the establishment of Henkel Consumer Brands, the division's EBIT margin has improved significantly, increased from 8.3% at the end of 2022 to 14.5% by the end of 2025. That is an improvement of more than 6 percentage points. At the same time, we invested significantly more in innovation and in strengthening our brands. Today, these investments are at a peak level, the highest level in a long time. In recent years, we've also strengthened Henkel through acquisitions in both business units. At the beginning of 2026, we announced four major acquisitions across both business units, and together they represent around EUR 1.6 billion in additional sales.
Indeed, they offer significant potential for further dynamic growth with high returns. We're investing around EUR 5 billion for these acquisitions. It's also worthwhile here to look at a longer time horizon in order to understand how we've transformed Henkel in recent years. Since I took office at the beginning of 2020, we've completed more than 10 acquisitions, representing a combined sales volume of around EUR 2.5 billion. With these acquisitions, we are strengthening both business units. Over the past years, we have significantly strengthened our hair business through a series of targeted acquisitions. We've expanded our portfolio with strong brands and products for both consumers and professional hairdressers. This includes the brand licenses for Shiseido Professional in Asia and the Vidal Sassoon brand.
At the end of March, we agreed to acquire the premium brand Olaplex, and just quite recently, we successfully completed the acquisition of the U.S. brand, Not Your Mother's. These are attractive brands with high growth and earnings potential that have sustainably strengthened our Consumer Brands business or will do so in future. In the Adhesive Technologies business units, we've positioned ourselves in the future-oriented field of repair, maintenance, and overhaul of critical infrastructure through acquisitions such as Critica Infrastructure and Seal for Life.
The most recent acquisitions, including ATP Adhesive Systems and Stahl, will expand our existing portfolio with new technologies and open up additional growth opportunities for us. This was accompanied by active portfolio management. Overall, since the beginning of 2020, we have divested brands and businesses with a total sales volume of approximately EUR 2.7 billion. This included the sale of our business activities in Russia, which we had already announced in 2022, shortly after the attack on Ukraine. In addition, in spring 2025, we divested our retailer brands business in North America, which no longer belongs to our core business. What with all these changes, we have consistently implemented our strategic agenda. We're delivering purposeful, profitable growth year after year. I believe this is illustrated quite impressively by the development of earnings per share.
Since the end of the crisis year 2022, this has increased by more than 50%, although the market environment has been anything but easy. To continue on this successful path in the future, we must keep evolving, adapting, and realigning our structures and processes. Well, that's exactly what we're doing across all areas of our company. In spring 2025, we already announced that we would evaluate the possibility of establishing separate legal entities in Germany for our two business units, Adhesive Technologies and Consumer Brands. This step is also linked to the preparations for the SAP S/4HANA migration, a new system. We've thoroughly discussed and agreed the proposal within the management board and with the relevant supervisory bodies. As a next step, separate legal entities for the two existing business units will initially be established in Germany.
We emphasize in this context, the strategic and operational management of the Henkel Group and its business units will remain unchanged. This is not a project intended to lead to a breakup of the group. Our main aim with this is to make our processes and structures more agile and to better support the future needs of the businesses and the growth agenda of the Henkel Group. We will submit this proposal for the further development of the company to you, dear shareholders, for resolution today. My colleague, Marco Swoboda, on the board will give you more details on this during the general meeting. Ladies and gentlemen, this brings me to the third central part of my speech today. We are ready for the future.
We have two business units that we deliberately strengthening for the future through investments in brands and technologies, by fostering their innovative capabilities through value-creating acquisitions, by focusing on future growth fields, and through sustainable business practices across the entire value chain. Let us now take a closer look at our two business units, at their development, their figures and results, their innovative strength, and their contribution to a sustainable future. In 2025, the Consumer Brands business unit achieved sales of around EUR 9.7 billion. This corresponds to organic growth of 0.3%. The adjusted return on sales reached 14.5%, equivalent to a significant increase of almost one percentage point versus the year before. We achieved a strong improvement in results, partly through savings from the integration and partly through the continued streamlining and optimization of the product portfolio.
We are now focusing on brands and businesses with high growth and earnings potential, and that is paying off. In 2025, the top 10 brands in the Consumer Brands business unit already accounted for around 60% of sales. They achieved strong organic growth combined with positive volume growth. As I mentioned earlier on, just a few weeks ago, we announced plans to further strengthen Henkel Consumer Brands through two additional acquisitions. First, through the acquisition of Not Your Mother's. This is one of the leading hair care and styling consumer brands in North America. In the 2025 financial year, the brand generated sales of nearly EUR 200 million with double-digit growth and high profitability. As well as the planned acquisition of Olaplex, an established premium hair care brand from the United States with a global footprint.
In the 2025 financial year, Olaplex generated sales around, of around EUR 370 million and achieved a strong gross margin. With both acquisitions, we're further expanding our hair business, one of our core categories in the consumer goods sector. We also focus on developing own innovations. In the highly competitive consumer goods market, they are a key success factor for competitive differentiation. Our approximately 1,000 experts in research and development within the Consumer Brands business unit work every day on innovations that deliver tangible added value. In 2025 as well, we once again succeeded in successfully bringing new products to the market. One example is the new Creme Supreme hair coloration from Schwarzkopf, inspired by professional applications in hair salons. We developed a completely new technology with Creme Supreme. It strengthens, nourishes, and protects the hair through micro-bonding connections.
Our aspirations for our products go beyond innovation and performance alone. We aim to integrate sustainability across our entire portfolio. To enable sustainable consumption, for example, we have steadily increased the share of recycled plastic, so-called recyclate. This is used in the packaging of well-known brands such as Persil, Weißer Riese and Gliss. In Europe, we already use 45% recyclate in our packaging. In North America, for example, we've increased the share of recycled plastic used for Dial liquid hand soap bottles to 100%. In addition, we use ingredients that are based on sustainably sourced raw materials. Through these measures, we are also making a contribution to the circular economy. An important pillar in the development of new products and innovations in the haircare segment is the concept of our so-called Houses of Hair.
Since March 2025, we have brought together key parts of our hair business at a single location in Hamburg. More than 300 experts work hand in hand to develop new products there. Besides Hamburg, there are 4 other international locations. They play an important role in the customer-centric development of innovative hair products. Where and how? You can now see it in that, in the following short video.
[Presentation]
This brings me to Adhesive Technologies, our business with adhesives, sealants and coatings. Here we are the global market leader. We offer around 20,000 products and solutions to approximately 100,000 customers worldwide across a wide range of industry segments. This gives us a unique position in the market thanks to the breadth and depth of our portfolio, our global presence, and the expertise of our teams. With three business areas, Mobility and Electronics, Packaging and Consumer Goods, and Craftsmen, Construction and Professional, we are consistently aligning the business unit with future trends. These include, among other things, e-mobility and connectivity, meaning the increasing interconnection of systems, as well as, of course, a strong focus on sustainability and urbanization. The business unit once again recorded a very positive business performance over the past year, generating sales of around EUR 10.7 billion.
This corresponds to solid organic growth of 1.5%. The main drivers were the electronics and industrial businesses. The adjusted return on sales increased slightly, reaching 16.7%. This increase was achieved on the one hand through positive volume growth and on the other through continued cost reduction measures and efficiency improvements. Here as well, expanding the portfolio through acquisitions is an important pillar of our growth agenda. In 2025, we were also able to agree on the acquisition of Swiss-based ATP Adhesive Systems. The company is a leading provider of high-performance specialty tapes for a wide range of end markets, including automotive, electronics, medical and construction. In the 2025 financial year, the company generated sales of around EUR 270 million. This acquisition is an excellent strategic complement to our existing business. It is also fully in line with our stable sustainability goals.
More than 90% of ATP's products use water-based technologies that generate lower CO2 emissions. We successfully closed the transaction on the first of April. In February of this year, we also agreed to acquire the Dutch Stahl Group. It is a global provider of specialty coatings for flexible materials with end customers in the automotive, fashion and lifestyle, and packaging sectors. Last year, the company generated sales of around EUR 725 million. Both transactions will add around EUR 1 billion in sales for Henkel. Even more important is the fact that these acquisitions enable us to expand our portfolio with new technologies and solutions for our customers. In doing so, we are unlocking new fields of application and growth potential for our globally leading Adhesive Technologies business. Innovation is also a central success factor when it comes to our industrial business.
That is why we invest here consistently, for example, in the expansion of our global network of state-of-the-art research and innovation centers, our so-called Inspiration Centers. Up to now, we've operated such centers in Düsseldorf, in Mumbai in India, and in New Jersey in the United States. In addition, we opened our Inspiration Center in Shanghai in 2025, investing around EUR 60 million. More than 500 experts work there. Our first integrated innovation and technology center in Latin America was also opened in Brazil in the first quarter. In Madison Heights in the United States, a new so-called battery application center has also begun operations. Here we develop innovative applications to make batteries for modern electric vehicles more powerful and safer. We've had a comparable center in Düsseldorf for quite some time now.
We also enable greater sustainability in the production processes of our industrial customers across many other areas. In this way, we reduce emissions in adhesive manufacturing, for example, through CO2-reduced raw materials and the use of renewable energy in our production processes. The improved sustainability profile of adhesives helps our industrial customers to reduce the CO2 emissions of their own products. As you can see, innovation is also key to our Adhesive Technologies business. That is why we promote it in a very targeted and focused way. I would now like to show this to you briefly in the following video.
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Ladies and gentlemen, when we talk about innovation and progress, we also have to talk about the use of artificial intelligence. At Henkel, AI has been an important part of our digital strategy for many years. We already use AI technologies extensively in practice.
The first television commercial ever broadcast on German television went on air 70 years ago in November 1956. It was by Henkel for Persil, and we still live this pioneering spirit today. For our Persil brand, we created the first TV commercial in Germany using artificial intelligence, thereby bringing our iconic advertising figure, the White Lady, into a new era. We also use AI in the development of new applications, for example, in battery manufacturing. This allows us to shorten development cycles, reduce costs, and increase performance. In addition, artificial intelligence is used, for example, to automate processes in our adhesive development laboratories or in the virtual connectivity of our global sites. Finally, I would like to address a topic that is deeply rooted in our history and in our identity as a family-owned company, sustainable action and our responsibility towards the environment, society, and future generations.
Sustainable action is one of our corporate values and an important part of our growth agenda. To ensure that we continue to make progress in this area, we've set ourselves clear and measurable goals. We've just published these together with our sustainability reports. At the center, there are three areas of action. First, protecting the climate. Second, equal opportunities and equal pay for all employees. And third, closer collaboration with our suppliers to establish more sustainable standards across the entire value chain. Our goals are deliberately formulated so that they are clear, binding, and above all, achievable in production, in the laboratory, in procurement, in every market around the world. We believe that economic success and responsible action are not in competition with each other. In everything we do, we always keep the well-being of our future generations in mind. What does that mean in concrete terms?
I would like to explain this to you using the example of climate. We are pursuing the goal of a climate neutral and circular economy. In doing so, we aim to reduce our absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2045 across the entire value chain. This is important because our large share of emissions occurs outside our own production processes in upstream and downstream stages among our suppliers of raw materials or intermediate products and among our customers when they use our products. We therefore support our suppliers through initiatives such as Climate Connect in reducing their emissions so that together we can achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Another important pillar of our social responsibility is our focus on education. Here, too, there is a small anniversary to celebrate. 15 years ago, we launched the Forscherwelt project, the Research World project.
Since then, more than 130,000 children in 20 countries have taken part in courses at our Forscherwelt laboratories or in Forscherwelt programs. The Henkel Forscherwelt, under the patronage of you, Mrs. Bagel-Trah, stands for hands-on and inspiring educational programs that spark enthusiasm for science and research among primary school-age children. Of course, that deserves a big hand of applause. Maybe the applause will be even louder if you now see our colleague, Ute Krupp, who has led Forscherwelt since its founding and shows what makes this concept so special.
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Thank you. I also love it. Ladies and gentlemen, I started my remarks today by focusing on the people at Henkel. In doing so, I also spoke about our strong corporate culture, our Henkel spirit. It is the bond that holds everything together, even in difficult times.
At Henkel, we see our corporate culture as the foundation for our future. Such a culture does not emerge on its own. It must be nurtured continuously and actively promoted. To gain an understanding of how our employees perceive the company, we have been conducting so-called pulse checks for several years. Once a month, we survey 5,000 randomly selected colleagues around the world. These anonymous surveys provide us with valuable insights. The results from 2025 show that we were once again able to make significant progress. Feedback is once again more positive than in the previous year. This confirms that the wide range of initiatives and measures we have implemented in recent years are having an effect and that our corporate culture is being strengthened on a continuous basis. Today, I've spoken several times about how we take responsibility for future generations.
This also applies for the next generation of Henkel employees who are completing their training with us. In 2025, our apprenticeship program celebrated its 100th anniversary. Another milestone. What began in 1925 with just five apprenticeship professions in the technical field has, over the course of a century, developed into a broad and diverse range of training opportunities. Today, Henkel has around 450 apprentices and dual students in Germany who are being trained in 30 different professions. I would also like to once again address another topic that stands for responsibility across generations. Two years ago, we made a pioneering decision at Henkel. We introduced fully paid parental leave. Two months at full salary for all new parents, regardless of gender, regardless of family situation in around 70 countries for our 47,000 employees worldwide. Thank you very much.
This made us the first company in the DAX, and we still are today. We knew this would be complex. What we also knew it is the right thing to do, and it would make us stronger. The results prove it. In 2025, 15% more parents took advantage of Henkel's parental leave program. Particularly important here is 35% more fathers took parental leave. In some countries, this is taken for granted. In others, it represents real change. One example particularly impressed me. In one country in the Middle East, not a single father at Henkel took parental leave in 2024. Last year, there were already more than 80. In this way, we strengthen our attractiveness as an employer. We increase the satisfaction and loyalty of our employees to our company. I'm convinced that this will also pay off in the long term.
Ladies and gentlemen, this brings me to the end of my speech today. Allow me to briefly summarize and wrap up the key points. We had a good year in 2025. We have the right strategy and are delivering profitable growth. We have fundamentally transformed Henkel, and we will continue to continuously develop our company going forward. We have a strong foundation for a successful future with two business units with successful and innovative brands for consumers. We offer solutions with cutting-edge technologies for our industrial customers around the world. With a clear focus on purposeful growth driven by innovation, sustainability and digitalization, and above all, with a great team and a shared lived corporate culture for a successful future and of course, for you, our shareholders. On this basis, we look to the future with confidence even in these challenging times.
In closing, I would like to say thank you. First and foremost, once again, my thanks go to all employees around the world. I am very proud to be part of this great Henkel team. My thanks also go to the entire Management Board, dear Sylvie, dear Mark, Marco and Wolfgang. Thank you for your commitment, your experience and your strong team spirit. I would also like to thank our Governing Bodies, Supervisory Board and the Shareholders' Committee for their experience, expertise and guidance and advice. Without your support, we would not have come as far as we have in our transformation. My very special thanks go to you, dear Mrs. Bagel. Thank you for the excellent collaboration with you as Chair of our Governing Bodies, for your trust and your guidance, for your questions, your valuable impulses and the good cooperation.
I'm looking forward to that in the future. Finally, my thanks go above all to you, our shareholders. Your trust in Henkel's future is what drives us. We are celebrating 150 years of Henkel this year, and I'm confident and sure that based on our long and successful history, we also have a very promising future ahead of us. Thank you very much for your kind attention. Thank you.
Mr. Knobel, thank you for your extensive report. Like in previous years, we will now end transmission of this AGM through our web stream. I would like to say goodbye to those who have been following us up to this point, and would like to thank you for your interest.