For years, Symrise has been systematically reducing its direct greenhouse gas emissions as well as those in its supply chain. The Holzminden-based company’s commitment to cutting upstream emissions has now been recognized by the non-profit organization CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) with a top A grade in the Supplier Engagement Rating (SER). Symrise has drawn up a Code of Conduct governing responsible sourcing that applies to all its suppliers. As a next step, the Group aims to increase the number of suppliers that meet these strict requirements. These measures have earned the manufacturer of fragrances and flavorings a place on CDP’s current Supplier Engagement Leaderboard: In 2023, Symrise ranked among the best companies worldwide to take part in the assessment.
Symrise has been making efforts for years to ensure that its suppliers increasingly satisfy strict climate protection criteria. “With more than 5,000 suppliers and widely ramified supply chains, it is essential that we have the right framework conditions in place,” says Bernhard Kott, Chief Sustainability Officer at Symrise. In line with the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, the company subjected all its suppliers to a sustainability risk assessment. Moreover, Symrise aims to procure 100 percent of its strategic biological raw materials from completely sustainable sources by 2025. Helmut Frieden, Vice President Corporate Sustainability: “We have set ourselves other ambitious goals as well. For example, by 2030, we intend to bring the greenhouse gas emissions generated by our own business activities down to net zero.”
Just as in the previous year, the Holzminden-based company’s commitment earned it a top A grade from the non-profit organization CDP in 2023. “This excellent result in the rating motivates us to continue our chosen path. In the future, we want to increase the number of suppliers who define their own environmental targets as part of the CDP Supply Chain Program. After all, sustainable raw materials sourcing exerts a substantial impact on our long-term success. More and more customers and consumers are attaching importance to transparency and traceability in the supply chain,” says Bernhard Kott.
Symrise assumes a leading role in the supply chain
Since 2018, the non-profit organization CDP has used its Supplier Engagement Rating (SER) to evaluate the cooperation between companies and their suppliers regarding climate issues. Some of the assessment criteria include:
- how the company integrates climate matters into its business strategy,
- what targets the company has set in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
- how high the emissions in the supply chain are (Scope 3 emissions), and
- how the company incorporates suppliers into its climate protection measures.
The Supplier Engagement Leaderboard identifies companies that are actively cooperating with their suppliers on climate protection. An organization’s average upstream emissions are around 11.5 times greater than their direct operations. Because of this, organizations have much greater potential to reduce global emissions by influencing their supply chains. “As a Supplier Engagement Leader, Symrise is demonstrating supply chain leadership, a prerequisite for the transition towards a net-zero, nature-positive future,” says Simon Fischweicher, Director of Supply Chain and Reporter Services, CDP.
