CDP rating: Symrise honored for climate commitment in the supply chain

03/15/2023 Corporate | Sustainability

Symrise is consistently reducing its carbon footprint in the entire supply chain and plans to operate climate-positive starting in 2030. This ambitious approach makes the team in Holzminden one of the leading companies worldwide. The Supplier Engagement Rating (SER) acknowledges the Group’s extraordinary commitment to the implementation of current best practices. This follows top ratings in the categories of water, forests, and climate (Triple A), which the company received from the prestigious nonprofit CDP organization (the former Carbon Disclosure Project) at the beginning of the year. Symrise has anchored the environmentally friendly procurement of raw materials in the core of its corporate strategy and evaluates all main suppliers based on sustainability criteria, thus ensuring the traceability of strategic raw materials. Its implementation of current best practices has earned the Holzminden-based Group the top position on the Supplier Engagement Leaderboard in the CDP rating for the second time. Symrise has been continuously represented on the Supplier Engagement Leaderboard since 2016.

When assessing the sustainability of companies, the CDP considers the greenhouse gas emissions they generate internally as well as those of their suppliers. According to the numbers provided by the nonprofit organization, average emissions in the supply chain are around ten times higher than in companies. For this reason, the CDP assesses companies' climate protection, water usage and forest conservation every year, and evaluates how effective they are at committing their suppliers to fight climate change. Symrise made it to the top eight percent in this rating, earning a spot on the Supplier Engagement Leaderboard.

“We work with our suppliers to develop systematic measures to conserve our environment and the climate,” says Bernhard Kott, Chief Sustainability Officer at Symrise. “Our excellent ranking shows that we have taken the right approach. This motivates us to continue our course and encourage other companies to develop their own climate strategies.”

Supplier Code of Conduct developed

Symrise uses more than 10,000 mainly natural raw materials and sources them from more than 1,000 suppliers from over 100 countries. Since procurement practices follow clearly defined sustainability criteria, Symrise has developed a Code of Conduct to which all suppliers must adhere. This includes, for example, full disclosures about the raw material source.

In addition, Symrise has rated 87 percent of its key suppliers, who together account for 90 percent of the procurement volume, according to sustainability criteria. The company plans to increase this figure to 100 percent by 2025.

Additional info at: https://www.cdp.net/en