| Topic | Selected Goals | Goal Attainment 2022 | Progress to 2021 | Management methods | Value added & SDGs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate change & adaption | Symrise will be climate-positive starting in 2030. | A reduction of around 40 % in Scope 3 greenhouse gas emissions between 2016 and 2020. By 2025, we want to increase the eco-efficiency of emissions by 15 % compared to 2020.
85 % of our suppliers5 report greenhouse gas emissions. |
↑ | TCFD commitment, CDP climate change |
Product development & manufacturing processes
Customers & consumers |
| Use of raw materials & recycling solutions | Annual reduction of 4 % of chemical oxygen demand (COD) in wastewater as well as of our sensitive waste through increased eco-efficiency by 2025, or by a total of 60 % compared to 2010.1 | The efficiency of chemical oxygen demand in wastewater1 increased by 11.2 % in the reporting year
Increased production at the largest sites and adjustments to the product portfolio in line with customer requirements have led to an increase in the share of sensitive waste. |
↓ | Green chemistry approach, recovery through patented Symtrap® process |
Raw materials Product development & manufacturing processes |
| Environmental protection & biodiversity | Responsible sourcing of all strategic biological raw materials by 2025. | Sustainable sourcing of 88 % of our strategic biological raw materials in 2022. | ↑ | Sustainable supply chain management, raw material certifications, backward integration, CDP forest
Involvement in a variety of international (industry) initiatives |
Raw materials |
| Sourcing & human rights | Increase the share of our suppliers3 rated according to sustainability criteria4 to 100 % by 2025.
Responsible sourcing of all strategic biological raw materials by 2025. |
87 % of our suppliers3 assessed according to sustainability criteria4.
Sustainable sourcing of 88 % of our strategic biological raw materials in 2022. |
↑ | Supplier screening, certifications and audits; involvement in international (industry) initiatives (SAI, FSC, CDP Supply Chain Program, Rainforest Al-liance, RSPO, GIZ, Save The Children, IFFO, etc.); the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) will in-crease supplier assessment on the basis of sustainability criteria to nearly 100 % in 2023
Internal and external audits and certification; supplier screening (Sedex/EcoVadis) and supplier audits |
Raw materials Product development & manufacturing processes |
| Partnerships & communities | Establish and increase trust, knowledge transfer and synergies between Symrise companies and NGOs, suppliers, political institutions and local partners.
Maintain and expand collaboration with local partners and communities. |
Continuation of long-term project partnerships.
Joined new initiatives in 2022, including the Renewable Carbon Initiative and Low Carbon Transition Project. Tailored support for local communities (charitable, social) in areas where Symrise sources its strategic raw materials. |
→ |
Involvement in a variety of international industry collaborations, partnerships and pre-competitive approaches.
Needs assessments according to site |
Raw materials Product development & manufacturing processes Customers & consumers |
| Product quality & safety | Maintain a high level of product safety management. | No significant product safety incidents in 2022. | → | Internal and external audits; safety certifications |
Product development & manufacturing processes
Customers & consumers |
| Product innovation & design | Annual development of new products consistent with sustainability criteria; these products account for a share of sales of more than 15 % over the past three years. | With 15.1 % of sales from new product developments2, we again exceeded our target value in the reporting year.
However, the number is lower than the above-average value of 16.7 % for the previous year. |
↓ |
Market and trend research, consideration of regulatory requirements, product sustainability scorecard, green chemistry approach
Integrated management system, Nagoya Protocol Committee, Nagoya policy |
Product development & manufacturing processes
Customers & consumers |
| Corporate governance & compliance |
By 2025, we are planning for an above-average global tax rate of 25 % to 27 %.
Ensure that all Symrise sites are audited in accordance with relevant standards. |
In 2022, our effective group tax rate was 32.6 % due to the impairment of the investment in Swedencare AB. Without the Swedencare effect, the tax rate would have been 25.2 %.
100 % of Symrise sites audited in accordance with relevant standards. |
↓ | Further development of the Integrated Management System (IMS), external certifications, internal and external audits |
Raw materials Product development & manufacturing processes Customers & consumers |
| Occupational health & safety | “Zero-accident culture” and reduction in frequency of accidents to MAQ7 < 1,5 by 2025.
Maintain a high level of safety management at the facilities. |
Routine management safety visits by global managers.
SymSafe activities designed to improve occupational health and safety at the sites Thanks to our Symsafe activities, the MAQ rate has been reduced to 2.8 MAQ7 accident frequency. In 2022 there was a fire at the Colonel's Island site in the US. No injuries were reported. |
↑ | Management safety visits, ISO 45001, internal as well as external audits, continuous safety training courses
Internal and external audits, certifications and inspections |
Product development & manufacturing processes
|
| Use of water | Reduction of water consumption8 by 15 % at all production sites in arid regions by 2025. |
Water consumption at sites in dry regions8 dropped by around 4.3 %. In a region in Mexico that has struggled with severe water scarcity in recent years, a variety of projects that, for example, tap into alternative water sources, enhance piping for condensation tanks and promote the storage and reuse of water resulted in water savings of nearly 40 % compared to the previous year.
90 % uof our suppliers5 integrate water into their strategies and long-term business targets. |
↑ | Symrise water policy, annual CDP water disclosure |
Raw materials Product development & manufacturing processes |
| Employee empowerment | Maintain and expand training courses and employee support at all sites. | Regular training opportunites and further education for all employees. In 2022: on average 14 hours of face-to-face learning per employee via the Symrise learning platform. | → | Talent management, personnel development and employee recruitment |
Product development & manufacturing processes
|
| Diversity & equal opportunity |
At least 30 % women at the first global management level directly below the Executive Board and at least 45 % women at the second global management level by 2025. Long-term target of 20 % women on the Executive Board.
Maintain and increase site attractiveness, establish Symrise as an “employer of choice”. |
Of the 11,504 employees6 worldwide in 2022, 4,371 were women, which corresponds to a share of 39.8 %.
The share of women at the first level of management beneath the Executive Board amounted to 16 % in 2022; at the second level of management it amounted to 37 %. Diversity initiatives have been launched in Latin America and Asia. |
↓ |
Integrated Management System, talent management, employee recruitment
Site activities, employee recruitment |
Product development & manufacturing processes
|
| Animal welfare |
Fulfill animal welfare standards in our supply chain.
100 % of our chicken-based raw materials in Europe procured from sustainable sources by 2026. |
Drafting of a guideline on handling animal experiments in 2020. | → | Animal welfare policy, commitment to international animal welfare standards with partners, supplier qualification, supplier assessments and audits, traceability. |
Raw materials |
You can find a thorough description of our management approaches with goals and measure descriptions for all sustainability topics in our Sustainability record.