Community News

Member Spotlight: ZWILLING J.A. Henckels

Published: April 21, 2021

Susanna Heurung Maiwald Patentanwalts- und Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH Munich, Germany INTA Bulletins—Europe Subcommittee

ZWILLING logo red backgroundZWILLING J.A. Henckels AG (Solingen, Germany) was founded in 1731 and produces knives, scissors, kitchen equipment, and more. The ZWILLING logo was registered in June 1731 in the knifemakers’ roll in Solingen, Germany, and is therefore one of the oldest device marks in the world.

Besides the quality of its products and the appreciation it shows for its employees, ZWILLING has a strong commitment to social responsibility. The company undertakes charitable projects around the world for the education, training, and integration of children, young people, and adults with disabilities.

The company founded the charitable organization ZWILLING Care with the goal of supporting needy people in the long term, helping them to become more independent and to participate in society. ZWILLING Care provides skills development programs for persons with disabilities, with the goal of achieving inclusion through education, job training, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities and providing educational support for children with disabilities.

In Pondicherry, India, ZWILLING Care has launched an initiative to help young people with disabilities learn a trade and thus lead independent lives. Textile crafts are taught in the training center set up there.

Also in India, through ZWILLING Care, the company has launched the Godchildren Project, a sponsorship program assisting children and their families. For example, Sabine Vischer-Kippenhahn, head of trademarks in the Legal/Compliance /IP Department at ZWILLING, is sponsoring a 13-year-old girl through the project. In an interview, Ms. Vischer-Kippenhahn said she “enjoys the possibility of helping her to get an education and thus a better start in life.” ZWILLING actively encourages such sponsorships by providing financial assistance as well as organizational help.

ZWILLING Care also assists charitable programs in other parts of the world. For example, in 2004, a tsunami destroyed the Chao Thai Mai School in Phang-Nga, Thailand, and the organization assisted with rebuilding the school and giving students a new chance for an education.

ZWILLING also takes the integration of people with disabilities seriously at its headquarters in Solingen. For more than 15 years, it has collaborated with “Lebenshilfe,” another charitable organization, in the area of logistics so that colleagues with disabilities can fully participate. The company kindergarten also follows an integrative concept and offers care and education for children with and without disabilities.

“We do what families do best—we care” is the motto that ZWILLING applies not only to its staff worldwide, but to citizens of the world in terms of inclusivity, social engagement, and sustainability—ZWILLING – We Care.

Although every effort has been made to verify the accuracy of this article, readers are urged to check independently on matters of specific concern or interest. 

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