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Responsibility, diversity and commitment:

Kneipp's view of the human being

At first glance, many people associate the term sustainability with climate protection and other ecological aspects. However, there is another element of sustainability that is at least as important: social sustainability. The focus is on people.


Social sustainability depends crucially on the image of people - and on the way in which a company actually lives this image of people. A wide variety of topics play a role here, from respect for human rights to responsibility towards society, from diversity management and gender equality to the general corporate culture.

Our values
Live attitude

Just as a matter of principle:

The values according to which Kneipp acts as a company

Two hands of different skin colors, the little fingers are amicably interlocked

At Kneipp, we firmly believe that all people are of equal value and equal rights - regardless of their ethnic origin and nationality, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs and social background. In short, we value every person in their uniqueness.


Our actions as a company are guided by this attitude. This applies to us as the Kneipp team, our day-to-day work and our collaboration with partners along the value chain.

It goes without saying that we comply with national and international laws and regulations. These include in particular


  • the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations (UN)
  • the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
  • the guidelines of the UN Global Compact
  • the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises
  • the International Labor Organization (ILO) Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
  • the fundamental conventions of the ILO (core labor standards)

If you're wondering why the word "international" has already been mentioned several times, it's not just because of our activities as a global company and our international locations. We source raw materials for our products from many parts of the world; we want to and must ensure that these are obtained in compliance with human rights principles and values.

Diversity as a guiding principle.

two laughing women of different skin color, putting their arms around each other

Respecting the uniqueness of every person

We humans are part of nature. And nature impressively demonstrates to us every day the strength that comes from diversity: diversity is what makes life as we know it possible in the first place. In nature, every plant, every living creature down to the microscopically small single-celled organism has an indispensable role to play. Everything is intertwined. In the earth's ecosystem, diversity is the basis of our existence.

And let's just think about our diet: people who eat as varied and diverse a diet as possible generally live healthier lives. This is exactly how diversity keeps our society healthy, as long as we show respect, tolerance and openness in human interaction.

This is precisely what we cultivate in our company - through active diversity management. And as a signatory to the Diversity Charter, we have officially committed ourselves to this.

We raise our voice for these values:


Kneipp stands without ifs and buts for respectful and appreciative coexistence, for liberal democratic values and humanity.


We take a stand against hatred, agitation and racism, against right-wing radicalism and anti-democratic tendencies.


When we talk about responsibility and commitment, this also means taking a stand, assuming responsibility for the society in which we live and work, for the future of Germany and Europe as a business location, and for the people who shape their present and future here. Because companies are never neutral. Their actions influence this world just as much as their non-actions.

Living an attitude - acting in the spirit of humanity:

Education and equal opportunities at Kneipp

Several people sitting at a table, one of them holding up a tablet, working atmosphere, good mood

Diverse perspectives are an immense added value when people work together. Creativity, problem-solving and creativity benefit from diversity. At the same time, it can also bring challenges in everyday life. All employees, including all managers, receive diversity training at Kneipp so that they can face these challenges together in a positive way and question and develop their own behavior. We learn how inclusion and exclusionary behavior arise, how unconscious bias influences our interactions and what strategies there are to overcome such situations together.

As a social player and sustainable employer, Kneipp sees itself as having a particular duty when it comes to equal opportunities: this is why we are committed to gender equality (SDG 5) - also in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For example, we regularly check all salaries for gender-specific differences in the same positions (gender pay gap) and eliminate these.


We also address the gender care gap, i.e. the fact that women spend an average of 52.4% more time on unpaid care work than men¹: the compatibility of family and career is a concern for all employees. One example of this is parental leave, which is open to both men and women at Kneipp. However, equal opportunities also affect our day-to-day interactions and must be practiced in everyday life. We are therefore proud that just over half of our management team is made up of women.

Woman at a flipchart presentation and listeners, working atmosphere, good mood
Dem SDG 4 folgend (dem UN Sustainable Development Goal für hochwertige Bildung) fördern wir lebenslanges Lernen und engagieren uns über unser Unternehmen hinaus.

Lifelong learning is firmly anchored in our corporate culture. We create a corporate environment in which learning is possible at any time - in a variety of ways. We regularly offer training courses and workshops as part of our internal program; and we also promote in-service training and career advancement qualifications, including financially.


Speaking of education: Even beyond our company, access to education is an important concern for us. Even in the licensed Kneipp daycare centers and schools, we promote a healthy, natural lifestyle for children and young people by providing financial support for the facilities and their projects.

Sources:

¹ Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth: Gender Care Gap, retrieved on 22.04.2024