The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) awarded Symrise a 100 A rating, adding the company to the Climate A list. This achievement signifies that Symrise leads the energy and materials sector in the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), as well as in the German MDAX stock index. As a result, the company is among the Top 100 companies worldwide recognized by CDP in the Climate A list. The recently received DQS sustainability prize and the inclusion in the FTSE4 Good and ETHIBEL sustainability indices further prove Symrise’s commitment to the environment and sustainability.
CDP Climate A List
Symrise joined the Climate A list on the afternoon of November 4, 2015. The company had improved its rating from 96 B to 100 A. Thus, Symrise AG holds now the status of MDAX index leader in the CDP’s 2015 climate change report and is among the eight best companies in the MDAX this year. Furthermore, Symrise stands out as the leader of the energy & materials sector in the DACH region. This makes Symrise AG one of the TOP 5 companies in this sector within Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
“We congratulate Symrise on its inclusion in the CDP Climate A List and its achievement of the highest CDP climate score: 100 A. Symrise AG has demonstrated outstanding transparency regarding its climate activities to investors and the public. It has also made clear its ambitious strategies, goals and extraordinary measures to combat climate change. Only 113 of more than 2,000 listed companies worldwide were able to gain a position in the CDP Climate A List this year,” said Susan Dreyer, Director of the DACH region, CDP.
CDP Europe is part of the worldwide CDP network, an international non-profit organization. Working with companies and cities, they make available the only global system for measuring, managing and disclosing environmental impact. In the process, CDP collaborates with the most important market participants from public policy, business, and the capital markets – among them 822 institutional investors with total assets of € 86 trillion. Through these collaborations, they offer companies incentives for disclosing and reducing environmental impact and resource consumption. More than 5,500 companies worldwide, including almost 1,800 in Europa, are disclosing environmental information through CDP in 2015. CDP currently has the world’s largest database of primary data on climate change as well as water and forest use. CDP thus enables policymakers to take nature into account when making strategic business, investment and political decisions.
Climate performance is scored by comparing the quality reported to what the management actually achieves. Therefore, it conveys the credibility of a company’s measures and, above all, their effectiveness in adapting to or combating climate change. It also reflects actions taken to increase data validity.
Other Awards
DQS: Sustainable Leadership Prize
In September 2015, the DQS – the German Society for Management System Certification – awarded Symrise the sustainability prize for sustainable leadership. The certification authority emphasized how Symrise’s corporate strategy has systematically aimed for sustainable growth and a high degree of transparency.
The jury justified its selection as follows, “Symrise AG should be proud of its award for sustainable leadership. It has earned this evaluation through its highly transparent corporate strategy that systematically aims for sustainable growth. The management system is based on the ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001, ISO 26000, ISO 50001 and SA8000 international standards. All suppliers are evaluated according to the Sedex SMETA criteria. The annual sustainability report is also externally verified.”
FTSE4Good Index
In June 2015, Symrise underwent a scheduled review by the prominent international index provider FTSE. In the course of this, the index confirmed Symriseʼs membership in the FTSE4Good index. FTSE provides financial market participants with security indices that cater to specific investment goals. The FTSE4Good index features securities from companies with top performance in sustainability and corporate governance (ESG). It is highly regarded by ESG investors.
ETHIBEL Index
Furthermore, Symrise is once again a cornerstone of the Ethibel Sustainability Index (ESI) Excellence Europe and the Ethibel Sustainability Index (ESI) Excellence Global. This particular index recognizes a company’s performance in the area of sustainability. The global index includes 348 companies and is based on annual data. Sustainalytics, the world’s largest independent research service specializing in the analysis of environmental, social and governance data, collects this data.
For Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Bertram, Chief Executive Office of Symrise AG, the sustainability prizes and the listings in the sustainability indices are evidence of Symrise’s successful sustainability commitment. “Our addition to the CDP Climate A List thanks to our 100 A grade, the DQS sustainability prize and our listings in the FTSE4 Good and Ethibel indices prove that external stakeholders recognize Symrise’s sustainability activities and regard them as particularly successful.”
About Symrise
Symrise is a global supplier of fragrances, flavorings, cosmetic base materials and substances, as well as functional ingredients. Its clients include manufacturers of perfumes, cosmetics, food and beverages, the pharmaceutical industry and producers of nutritional supplements and pet food.
Its sales of more than € 2.1 billion in the 2014 fiscal year place Symrise among the top three companies in the global flavors and fragrances market. Headquartered in Holzminden, Germany, the Group is represented in over 40 countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, the United States and Latin America.
Symrise works with its clients to develop new ideas and market-ready concepts for products that form an indispensable part of everyday life. Economic success and corporate responsibility are inextricably linked as part of this process. Symrise thus takes sustainability into account in every part of its corporate strategy. The company was awarded the German Sustainability Award in 2012. In 2013, Symrise was certified as a “Green Company” by DQS. Symrise
Media Contact:
Bernhard Kott
Phone: +49 (0)5531 90-1721
E-mail: bernhard.kott@symrise.com
Christina Witter
Phone: +49 5531 90-21 82
E-mail: christina.witter@symrise.com