SUCCESS STORIES

Top Ranking for Sustainability Efforts

Symrise AG is one of the most sustainable chemical companies in the world. This was confirmed by the internationally recognized sustainability rating agency oekom research AG. The agency assessed the sustainability performance of 101 of the world’s largest chemical companies. Symrise AG was given a B- grade, placing it at the top of the chemical industry and granting it Prime Status, which qualifies the company as a sustainable investment (SRI). Only four other companies received this status.

Clear Commitment to Sustainability

Symrise signed the United Nation’s Global Compact, the world’s largest voluntary initiative for corporate responsibility, in 2012. In doing so, the company commits itself to the goals of the compact: uniting entrepreneurial activity with societal and environmental concerns.

Honored: Symrise Wins German Sustainability Award 2012

Symrise AG won the German Sustainability Award in the category of “Germany’s Most Sustainable Initiative” in December 2012. The company impressed the jury with its approach to the sustainable procurement of vanilla in Madagascar. Symrise works directly with over 1,000 farmers there and improves their socioeconomic situation by means of targeted measures in the areas of nutrition, health and education. The company also benefits from reliable access to high-quality raw materials and offers its customers added value when it comes to this highly coveted flavoring. The award underscores Symrise’s leadership in taking on entrepreneurial, social and environmental responsibility.

Leader in the Carbon Disclosure Project

According to the assessments of the non-profit organization Carbon Disclosure Project, Symrise factors the risks and opportunities of climate change into its core business and shows a high level of external transparency. With 88 points out of a possible 100, Symrise is the highest-rated company regarding transparency on the MDAX and is among the top 5 in the chemical industry in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Multipliers

As part of the permanent expansion of our internal sustainability network, 15 employees in Brazil came together to inspire their colleagues with specific ideas and worthwhile examples for sustainability activities that individuals can live by on a daily basis. The “Symlive Team” has an ambitious goal: By the end of 2013, the committee aims to no longer be as a committee of 15 people, but rather a group of 350 - maybe even more…

Rainforest Alliance Certified

Symrise vanilla now fulfills the strict requirements of the Rainforest Alliance. A group of 1,073 farmers from 29 villages in the SAVA region was certified in accordance with the SAN standard for sustainable agriculture. To help the farmers attain certification, Symrise employees worked intensively with them as partners for many months to implement various measures. The company has been active in Madagascar for many years and has committed itself to procuring 100 percent of its vanilla under fair conditions. This certification is another important milestone along the way.

Social Business in Ghana

As part of our partnership with PlaNet Finance, one of the co-initiators of the Star Shea Network, we have invested in the responsible sourcing of shea butter in Ghana. The natural raw material is a well-established component of many cosmetic products. In this way, Symrise ensures its continued access to high-quality, fairly traded and completely traceable shea butter. We will continue to intensify our cooperation with Star Shea in the coming years.

A Sustainable Decision

Lavender from southern France has always been an important raw material for perfumers. In 2012, Symrise decided to source CENSO-certified lavender and lavender oils in the future and, in doing so, support the French lavender industry’s sustainable approach.  At the same time, we have also been supporting the CRIEPPAM research center since 2012 and working exclusively with the researchers on new and promising lavender qualities. Further information is available at: http://www.censo-lavande.fr/en

that’s onion!®

Onions are an important component in nearly every culinary application and, for Symrise, one of the vegetable products with the highest volume. For over 60 years, we have purchased this raw material from within the direct vicinity of our Holzminden site. The short distances from the field to the factory help keep transport to a minimum. The process residues from production are then used in biogas plants to produce electrical energy, heat and fertilizer. This gives our onion extracts and flavors an extremely low carbon footprint. Everyone benefits from this approach: Our customers receive unique culinary specialties, the local farmers have planning security thanks to long-term contracts and we are assured of harvest-fresh quality and constant availability of supply.

Union for Ethical BioTrade

Symrise, Scent & Care Division Brazil is a Trading Member of the Union for Ethical BioTrade, an association that promotes the ’Sourcing with Respect’ of ingredients derived from biodiversity. As a member of the Union for Ethical BioTrade, Symrise, Scent & Care Division Brazil has committed to gradually ensure that its sourcing practices promote biodiversity conservation, respect traditional knowledge, and ensure an equitable sharing of benefits. For more information, including access to public reports on the implementation of Symrise, Scent & Care Division Brazilʼs commitments please go to www.ethicalbiotrade.org.

Alternative Testing Methods

Symrise joined the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) in 2012, becoming the first company in the fragrance and flavor industry to do so. The goal: To minimize animal testing and eventually eliminate the practice entirely by facilitating a joint exchange that results in the development of effective alternative testing methods. The company already has relevant experience in this area. Just last year, Symrise and Cutech received a European patent for their innovative ex vivo real-skin model.

Cooperation for New Health Solutions

Symrise AG and the Swedish biotechnology company Probi AB have agreed to a strategic partnership in the development of new product solutions for foods, food supplements and cosmetics. The objective is to pool competencies regarding health-promoting ingredients in an effort to jointly accelerate growth in this dynamic market segment. The collaboration focuses on probiotic oral care applications with proven health benefits.

Groundbreaking Research

Symrise once again participated in numerous research projects in 2012 that were sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and other funding institutions. A main focus of these projects was methods or ingredients that show or support health-promoting effects. This includes projects on the “development of modern, natural flavors for enhancing the taste of healthy foods” and the “development of methods for naturally extracting taste-modified aromatic compounds.”

Most Innovative Company of the Past Decade

Our research in the Life Essentials segment was presented with multiple awards for product innovations in 2012. Along with three of the sought-after BSB Awards for innovative raw materials, Symrise also claimed a special award as the “Most Innovative Cosmetics Raw Material Supplier Company Within The Last 10 Years” – praising Symrise’s constantly high level of innovation, from which our customers benefit.

Systematic Green Chemistry

Innovation is a key driver of sustainability at Symrise. In 2012, we introduced a process for recording and assessing our sustainability performance in product development. Using specific indicators, we check every project regarding its sustainability contribution. An initial result led to the development of a completely new green chemistry approach.

Less is More

Efficiency is a core principle at Symrise – and also applies to our environmental policies. By 2020, we aim to reduce the effects of our business activities on the environment per product unit sold by a third compared to 2010 levels. Compared to 2010, we made significant progress in this regard in 2012:

• Energy Consumption - 4,2 %
• Water Consumption - 2,4 %
• Wastewater Emissions - 9,9 %
• CO₂ Emissions - 5,4 %
• Waste - 10,7 %

Water Efficiency in Egypt

In 2012, the Symrise Operations Team in Egypt developed a new system for treating wastewater. Thanks to the special recycling process, we save not only about 1.35 million liters of water per year, we also improve our energy and CO2 impacts due to greater process efficiency.

Efficient Packaging

Two projects for optimizing the environmental impact of bulk containers were successfully completed during the reporting period. By introducing an alternative packaging material as well as a new approach to recycling, we were able to reduce CO2 effects by about 350 tons per year while increasing efficiency at the same time.

Resource Efficiency in Brazil

At our São Paulo site, we were able to substantially reduce the environmental footprint of our fragrance production thanks to a series of combined measures. Along with the installation of rainwater tanks and solar panels, various control and measuring instruments were set up, with which we can control and manage our future consumption in a more targeted manner.

Business & Biodiversity

As part of an EU-sponsored campaign, Symrise underwent a biodiversity check in 2012. The analysis performed by dokeo and the Global Nature Fund is a tool for the integration of biodiversity risks in environmental management. The identification of strategic raw materials, potential regions of risk and the recommendation of specific measures were the focus of the activities.

Symply Healthy

In 2011, we started a targeted revision of our measures on health precautions at our sites in the USA under the name “symply healthy.” After a comprehensive analysis of the various ongoing projects, we are now working on integrating and further expanding these as part of a comprehensive health culture. Our employees’ health is a central concern for us in every country.

Worldwide Commitment

In 2012, we once again performed a comprehensive employee engagement survey at our locations in Brazil, China, Germany, France, India, Mexico, Singapore and the United States. The detailed answers and high rate of participation at 76 % show that our employees are actively interested in helping shape the future of our company. The results provided us with a comprehensive view of our company’s strengths and weaknesses and highlighted specific areas for potential improvement. Together with our employees, we are actively working towards finding sustainable solutions that will solidify our goal of being an employer of choice.

career@symrise: Phase 2

At the start of 2012, our company began an initiative for an integrated approach to employee promotion and development with career@symrise. Along with the target agreement process, career and succession planning are now also integrated into the corresponding online platform. With these changes, every employee should have the opportunity to showcase their skills, define their career aspirations and advance in the company in close dialogue with their superiors.

International Inspiration

Global perfumer training has a long tradition at Symrise. We offer talented youngsters training that goes well beyond knowledge of raw materials, encouraging their creativity and enabling them to achieve peak performances. This also includes a visit to the lavender fields in the “Alpes de Haute Provence” in southern France as well as the city of Grasse – considered by many to be the perfume capital of the world. Our perfumer schools are part of the Symrise Perfumers’ Academy, which promotes the continuous development of our creative specialists around the world.

Health at Work

Three years ago, Symrise AG began an active health management system in cooperation with the Works Council in Germany. The results of the current corporate health audit are clear evidence of its success. The number of points increased compared to the previous year from 338 to 368 out of a possible 400. The corporate health audit examines and assesses health-promoting measures for employees in companies. Symrise was given the grade “excellent” and therefore belongs to the top group of German companies.

Four Strong Senses

Symrise Brazil supports the Dorina Nowill Foundation, which promotes the social inclusion of visually-impaired people. The main focus of the project "Perfumery for the Visually Impaired" is to develop and implement an educational program in the fragrances business. The company supports this program by providing training materials and opportunities to start at Symrise by way of an internship. This provides us with potential new talent and opens up new professional opportunities for these individuals.

“Work for a cause and not for applause”

Dedicated employees from all departments at Symrise in India have joined forces to follow this motto. One of the most active sustainability teams in the world, they organize donation drives for sick children, homeless people and others in need – motivating the entire staff to help out. They have organized blood drives to make the free treatment of children at a public clinic possible and have come together to perform volunteer work. Many other initiatives benefiting the environment and local employees have also been carried out.

Grow with Me

Learning from nature, eating healthily and getting more exercise – these are the issues at the heart of the “Grow with Me” project at our Elyria, Ohio, site in the USA. Here, children and their parents learn how vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables are grown and made into tasty meals. At the same time, they also learn about nutrition and the role of exercise in a healthy lifestyle. Together with the Lorain Metropolitan Housing Association and a local Boys & Girls Club, we have expanded a public playground and built a garden plot in an area marked by unemployment and social problems. The garden is maintained by the families in the housing project and the children in the Boys & Girls Club.  Nutrition and horticulture education is held onsite as well.  Symrise supports the sustainability project in Elyria both financially as well as through the voluntary commitment of our employees. Its aim is to create an urban garden which enables people to experience nature and become healthy through nutritious, wholesome food.

Knowledge Transfer

In the West African city of Accra, we have been successfully working with the local university on food and flavor technology since 2011. Our company organizes a colloquium every semester as well as various scientific studies, such as on the topic of malnutrition, where talented students can participate. In this way, we are supporting our growth ambitions in West Africa while bringing our know-how to the region and providing added value to the people living there. In the future, we will also be receiving additional support for our plans from the German embassy in Ghana.

Education is the Future

Together with the Taiwanese Red Cross, our Symrise team in China is supporting the development of a “movable library” for aboriginal children in the Nantou province who do not have proper and complete access to education. The remote mountainous regions are especially in need of adequate teaching materials and books. China has been an important growth market for us for over thirty years now. As a company in the region, we see it as our duty to contribute to the area’s positive development.