GBN LA Exhibitor Spotlight: Symrise

To better introduce you to our amazing Green Beauty Night exhibitors, we sent all of them this questionaire to share more about what they do. Here’s what Symrise had to say!

What does ‘sustainability’ mean to you? 

Symrise assumes responsibility that goes beyond the company itself. It takes its customers and consumers, its employees, society and the environment into consideration. Our corporate strategy is aimed at sustainable, profitable growth. For us, this includes the permanent and robust expansion of our business that constantly considers ecological and social conditions, works toward an increasingly efficient production and maintains a portfolio that helps meet the basic needs of a growing world population. Keeping our core business in mind, we combine our ambitions in the area of sustainability in the four pillars of our sustainability agenda: footprint, innovation, sourcing and care. With this, we combine commercial success with sustainable corporate management and social acceptance. Numerous awards and certificates are proof of Symrise AG's sustained commitment. 

In the view of the global environmental reporting platform CDP, Symrise is counted among the world’s most sustainable suppliers. CDP analyzes how companies reduce greenhouse gas emissions, use water responsibly and protect forests. Symrise received an A, the highest possible rating, in the categories of climate and water protection. Also, our commitment to climate protection, the sustainable design of the supply chain and the conservation of biodiversity was once again publicly recognized: In December 2018, Symrise was awarded first place in the category “Germany’s most sustainable large corporation 2019.” This honor is a real highlight for us. It is a confirmation of the efforts of all our employees worldwide in the area of sustainability and a motivator to continue on this path – for the benefit of Symrise, for the protection of the environment and for the good of society as a whole. 

Why do you feel your company is a ‘sustainability’ leader? What does your company do to be “green”? 

Sustainability is an integral part of our business model. It provides us with tangible competitive advantages and secures the long-term success of the company. Successful companies distinguish themselves through their strong corporate cultures. Symrise is a perfect example of this. Our employees, who work in more than 40 countries around the world, share common values as the basis for shared goals. Our values – our roots – describe the attitude and the team spirit we are committed to sharing with each other at Symrise. They explain the manner in which we want to achieve our goals. Our special commitment is to global climate protection. Symrise has reported on its activities in this area on the CDP platform since 2006. In 2017, Symrise was one of the first companies worldwide to receive approval for its scientifically based climate targets. In addition, Symrise joined as a supporter of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) in 2018, showing its dedication to expanding climate-related reporting. 

Thanks to our high level of innovation, we were able to expand our market position while boosting our sustainability performance. A good example on this is Green Chemistry which is in the DNA of Symrise Innovation. We started a lot of internal initiatives for sustainable product solutions. Sustainability is a driver for our Innovation organization. In a fast changing world with a growing population and limited resources such as petrochemicals, soil or water we have to find solutions to protect our resources. One of our tools is our patented Product Sustainability Scorecard -an assessment system that enables us to identify each product’s specific impact on sustainability, for example, in terms of energy consumption, CO2 emissions or water usage. This way, we and our customers can steer product development with even greater precision and optimize the end product sustainably.