2018 in review

In 2018 we again experienced strong growth. One of the reasons for this success it the company's strength in using its resources in a highly targeted way

Be it the right Investments at the right time, the development of our own talented employees or responsibility handling important raw materials, especially at a time when materials essential for the industry are becoming increasingly scarce.

We have planned ahead and used backwards Integration for important raw materials or established Long-term and trustworthy partnerships with suppliers - thus continuing to measurable strengthen the sutainability of sourcing

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Symrise Global News - Developing Resources

Highlights 2018 - strong sales growth with high profitabilitiy

Corporate Report 2018

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Financial Report 2018

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Financial results

A year of highlights

Our highlights across a sustainable, financially successful year

Sustainably successful Code of Nature®Growing African market Growth investment in China FSC certification for Symrise Scientifically based climate targets Eight dividend increase in a row Drinks for the isle For dogs and cats Natural care Halal ingredients for cosmetics Breaking new ground in fragrances with artificial intelligence (AI)Natural flavors for US consumers Reconstruction of a school for children Award-winning sustainability management German Sustainability Award goes to Symrise

January 2018

Sustainably successful

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. In the “CDP Global Supply Chain Report 2018,” Symrise was also one of 100, out of 4,800 companies participating worldwide, to receive an A rating for its responsibility throughout the entire supply chain.

February 2018

Code of Nature®

Consumers are placing increasing emphasis on naturalness. They want to understand exactly what the ingredients of their food are and where they come from. They expect products to come from sustainable agriculture. Foods and beverages should be carefully prepared and properly stored so that they retain their original taste and nutritional value. This trend toward naturalness is a global phenomenon. Symrise is meeting this demand with code of nature®, a comprehensive concept based on four pillars: Best naturals, applied science, transparency, consumer driven.

March 2018

Growing African market

The African continent, with its large and rapidly increasing population, is also becoming increasingly important for the fragrance and flavoring sector. Symrise reiterated its commitment to the West African market at the agrofood Nigeria trade show in Lagos, where it presented natural and authentic concepts for foods and beverages that have been precisely coordinated to suit the wishes and preferences of customers and consumers in the region.

April 2018

Growth investment in China

In April, Symrise opened its new Creative Center in Pudong/Shanghai. The production facility in Nantong also celebrated the completion of the first construction phase. China, where Symrise has been active for 36 years now, is one of our key sales markets. Symrise has invested € 8 million in the new Creative Center. Here, experienced perfumers will develop as many as 9,000 different fragrances for the Chinese market every year. In Nantong, the total investment is planned to amount to € 50 million. Over 7.3 million people reside in this region alone. China is on its way to becoming the world’s largest market for fragrances and flavorings.

April 2018

FSC certification for Symrise

Symrise has become the first manufacturer of fragrance and flavoring substances to receive a certification from the renowned Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) for its ingredients originating from forestry production. The FSC certificate represents sustainability, transparency and traceability in the collection of a key raw material from pine trees that serves as a basis for many scents and flavors used daily.

April 2018

Scientifically based climate targets

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBT) certifies climate targets according to whether they are in line with current research and are working to reduce CO2 emissions on par with the standards of the Paris Climate Agreement. Symrise was one of the first three German companies to receive approval from the Science Based Target Committee in June 2017. Because Symrise had already reached its goals for reducing CO2 emissions by 2020 in the 2016 fiscal year, we are now in the course of implementing climate goals approved by the SBT Committee, which are much more ambitious: By 2025, we plan to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 50 % in terms of value added compared with the base year 2016. We also require our suppliers, who supply raw materials accounting for at least 80 % of our total purchasing volume, to commit to their own climate targets by 2020. We ultimately want to be climate-positive by 2050. With a current reduction in CO2 emissions of 10.8 % (2016 – 2018), we are well on our way to achieving this goal.

May 2018

Eight dividend increase in a row

On May 16, 2018, the Annual General Meeting of Symrise AG in Holzminden resolved to increase the dividend per share from € 0.85 in the previous year to € 0.88 for the 2017 fiscal year. This means that the distribution to shareholders has continuously increased since 2009.

June 2018

Drinks for the isle

Our British subsidiary Cobell is the largest supplier of juice products and taste solutions for beverages in the UK. With the expansion of the expertise center for beverages in Exeter, Cobell intends to strategically expand its partnership with British beverage companies.

June 2018

For dogs and cats

In June, Diana Pet Food began operations at a new production site in Cervera, Spain, with an investment of € 7 million. The southern European market will be supplied with applications for pet food from Spain. The significant expansion in capacity fulfills high standards regarding sustainable energy production, avoidance of waste and wastewater, and a low level of emissions.

September 2018

Natural care

Symrise presented Hydrolite® 5 green, the “green” variant of a multi-functional ingredient which has met with a great deal of success for 25 years, at the in-cosmetics Latin America trade fair in São Paulo. The new product is manufactured from sugar cane, a renewable raw material, and combines a high level of effectiveness with naturalness. Hydrolite® 5 green moisturizes the skin and boosts the effectiveness of many substances in cosmetic formulations.

September 2018

Halal ingredients for cosmetics

The Arabic word halal can be translated as “permitted” or “allowed.” It is used to describe all things and activities that are deemed permissible under Islamic law. As a global provider of cosmetic ingredients, Symrise is addressing the specific wishes of the growing Muslim population and offers a broad range of halal-certified products. Examples of the more than 200 products available include Frescolat® ingredients for cooling and refreshing skin care and the SymHair® product family of hair care products, which protect against hair breakage and make hair glossier and easier to comb.

October 2018

Breaking new ground in fragrances with artificial intelligence (AI)

Symrise and IBM Research have developed a method of using artificial intelligence (AI) to create perfumes based on digital fragrance models. The “Philyra” project combines Symrise’s rich archive of formulas and historical data with the IBM Research’s AI developed for product design technology. The AI identifies existing fragrances and suggests complementary additional components and formulas. Symrise perfumers then optimize the fragrances’ impressions. This results in novel creations – the first two fine fragrances will be brought to market in 2019.

November 2018

Natural flavors for US consumers

Symrise is opening a new plant for high-quality natural food ingredients in Banks County, Georgia, USA. With this investment of € 50 million, Symrise is strengthening its competitive position in what is traditionally the largest sales market in our industry and consistently driving its growth-oriented investment program forward. At the same time, the backward integration of agriculturally-produced raw materials is being expanded further. Through close cooperation with farmers on-site, Symrise ensures high product quality and supply security for products in the application areas of food ingredients, flavors and pet food.

December 2018

Reconstruction of a school for children

Symrise initiated a project to rebuild a school following the earthquake in Mexico last year. The facility is located near the Symrise site in Monterrey. Work has begun and will continue for about five months. At the start of construction, Symrise employees presented the teachers and students with a symbolic check for € 50,000.

December 2018

Award-winning sustainability management

For the sixth time in a row, the rating agency EcoVadis awarded Symrise its coveted Gold status for proven sustainability. In 2018 as well, we met the rating agency’s steadily rising standards, and even improved our overall rating in the areas of the environment, social aspects, ethics and sustainability in the supply chain. This puts Symrise in the top 1 % of all companies evaluated in the chemical sector.

December 2018

German Sustainability Award goes to Symrise

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.

Our 2018 track record

We track our successes across five key areas: Economy, Footprint, Innovation, Sourcing and Care. In each area, our 2018 achievements show that we’re well on course to reach or exceed our 2020 goals.

Business Footprint Innovation Sourcing Care

2018 track record

8.8%

Organic sales growth

20.0%

EBITDA margin

43%

Share of sales for emerging markets

Goals for 2020

CAGR 5-7%

Sales growth at local currency

19-22%

Annual EBITDA margin

>50%

Share of sales for emerging markets

Goals for 2025

CAGR 5-7%

Sales growth at local currency

20-23%

Annual EBITDA margin

>50%

Share of sales for emerging markets

Our resources

5,413

terajoules of energy consumption

5,323

thousand m³ of water consumption

69%

of the production sites are ISO 14001-
certified based on production volume

Our results

217,828

tons of CO₂ emissions (scope 1)

3,369

thousand m³ total wastewater volume

5,016

tons chemical oxygen demand*

* 2017 adjusted: 5,162 tons

2018 Track Record

-3%

reduction in greenhouse gas emissions
(scope 1+2)*

-14.8%

reduction of chemical oxygen demand in
wastewater (2020 goal: reduction of 4% per
year)*

-1.8%

decrease of sensitive waste volume*

* All figures relative to value added

Our resources

€200

million spent on research and development

1,728

employees working in research and
development

€13

million in state research grants

Our results

17.1%

of sales are from new product
developments*

* Relative to market launch in the past three years

60

patents submitted

33.8%

share of the IP index in the industry with
10% market share

2018 Track Record

17.1%

of sales from new product developments*

* Relative to market launch in the past three years

Our resources

€1,402

million in procurement volume

10,000

natural and synthetic raw materials from
over 100 countries

90%

of main suppliers based on procurement
volume have been rated according to
sustainability criteria

Our results

30,000

products for 6,000 customers in 160
countries

CDP

leading position (climate, forests)

98%

of production sites verified in accordance
with sustainability criteria (SEDEX/SMETA)
based on production volume

2018 Track Record

90%

of main suppliers (80% of the
procurement volume) assessed according
to sustainability criteria

98%

tracebility of strategic raw materials

>50%

primary

>68%

secondary

palm oil derivates from certified sustainable sources

Our resources

9,787

employees, including trainees and
apprentices

42%

women in the second management level

56

nationalities across the Symrise group

Our results

43%

of all promotions go to women

39%

of our employees have been with Symrise
for ten years or longer

125

employees posted abroad ensure the global
transfer of expertise

2018 Track Record

27%

women in the first management level

42%

women in the second management level

4.1

MAQ accident frequency

Sustainability at Symrise

Symrise assumes responsibility that goes beyond the company itself.

It takes its customers and consumers, its employees, society and the environment into consideration. Therefore, as an international company, Symrise actively supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The 17 global sustainability goals and their 169 subgoals were adopted by all UN member states in 2015 via the “Agenda 2030.” The SDGs show how politics, business and private individuals around the world can tackle the major challenges of our time – from resource consumption to global inequalities and climate change. With these goals, the international community has set a course for a more sustainable world by 2030. Companies can make a major contribution to the implementation of SDGs because they influence the environment and society in many ways – from production to distribution of their products, as employers and in cooperation with partners and suppliers along the supply chain. We are aware of this responsibility at Symrise and want to make an effective contribution to the SDGs.

To the non-financial report

Link to our GRI report

Financial reports

More financial results

Oct 29, 2019

Quarterly Statement January-September 2019

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Aug 8, 2019

Interim Group Report January-June 2019

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Apr 30, 2019

Quarterly Statement January-March 2019

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Mar 13, 2019

Financial Year 2018

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Investors

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In 2018 we again experienced strong growth. One of the reasons for this success it the company's strength in using its resources in a highly targeted way

Interactive factsheet

Symrise Global News - Developing Resources

Corporate Report 2018

Financial Report 2018

A year of highlights

Our highlights across a sustainable, financially successful year

January 2018

Sustainably successful

February 2018

Code of Nature®

March 2018

Growing African market

April 2018

Growth investment in China

April 2018

FSC certification for Symrise

April 2018

Scientifically based climate targets

May 2018

Eight dividend increase in a row

June 2018

Drinks for the isle

June 2018

For dogs and cats

September 2018

Natural care

September 2018

Halal ingredients for cosmetics

October 2018

Breaking new ground in fragrances with artificial intelligence (AI)

November 2018

Natural flavors for US consumers

December 2018

Reconstruction of a school for children

December 2018

Award-winning sustainability management

December 2018

German Sustainability Award goes to Symrise

Our 2018 track record

2018 track record

8.8%

20.0%

43%

Goals for 2020

CAGR 5-7%

19-22%

>50%

Goals for 2025

CAGR 5-7%

20-23%

>50%

Our resources

5,413

5,323

69%

Our results

217,828

3,369

5,016

2018 Track Record

-3%

-14.8%

-1.8%

Our resources

€200

1,728

€13

Our results

17.1%

60

33.8%

2018 Track Record

17.1%

Our resources

€1,402

10,000

90%