The Symrise rating has undergone a review by CDP. The result, Symrise earned triple A scores in the yearly sustainability ratings of renowned nonprofit organization CDP, formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project. The Holzminden Group achieved the top grade of A in all three categories of climate, water and forests. Based on data reported through CDP’s 2022 Climate Change, Forests and Water Security program, Symrise belongs to the 13 companies that achieved a triple ‘A’ - out of more than 15,000 companies scored on a worldwide basis. This certifies that Symrise was again able to meet the stringent sustainability requirements for the third year in a row. Symrise will keep up the efforts that earned the company accolades in the past few years.

The nonprofit organization evaluates companies on a scale of A to D. In doing so, it pays attention to how companies deal with climate risks and the completeness of the data that they provide. A further criterion relates to the climate-friendliness of corporate management, for example, the setting of ambitious and sensible targets. The bar is constantly raised in parallel to current developments, such as new scientific discoveries or market requirements.

Ambitious targets to protect the climate, water, and forests

For its corporate strategy, Symrise relies on a holistic approach. Climate protection plays a key role here. Starting in 2030, the Holzminden-based Group wants to run its operations climate-positive. This means the company will contribute to preventing or sequestering more greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere than it produces through its operating activities. Furthermore, the entire supply chain, including the raw materials produced by suppliers, is intended to be climate-neutral by 2045.

Another point of the strategy relates to the protection of forests. To achieve this, Symrise also relies on the principles of the circular economy. The company uses wood-based ingredients in about 30% of its fragrance compositions. The Group obtains the material with the help of green chemistry as part of a complex process, for which it became the first company in its industry to receive the globally recognized FSC certificate for the protection of forests.

Water protection also forms an integral part of the corporate strategy. Symrise therefore intends to further optimize its consumption of freshwater resources around the world. In particular, it focuses on sites in regions with a high level of water stress such as Egypt, Spain, India and Mexico. Already in 2018, Symrise defined the long-term goal to reduce its water consumption in these countries by 15 percent by 2025.

"Effectively protecting the climate, water and forests will enable us to continue to operate sustainably in the future, thus making a contribution to peoples' well-being," says Bernhard Kott, Chief Sustainability Officer at Symrise. "We see the updated triple A result as a confirmation of our efforts. We are delighted by this renewed distinction, which motivates us continue on this path."

You can find an overview of the 2022 CDP ratings here:
www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores