Goals and management
of our sustainability topics

Climate change & ‑adaption

Symrise will have net zero CO₂ emissions from 2030 onward.

Reduction in Scope 3 GHG emissions in category 1 “purchased raw materials and services” by around 43 % between 2016 and 2023. By 2025, we want to reduce absolute emissions by 15 % compared to 2020.

66 % of our suppliers⁴ report greenhouse gas emissions.

Low Carbon Transition Plan (LCTP)
Product Carbon Footprint (PCF)
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 hazardous waste through increased eco-efficiency by 2025, or by a total of 60 % compared to 2010.¹

The eco-efficiency of chemical oxygen demand in wastewater¹ increased by 10.7 % 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 hazardous 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 95 % of our strategic biological raw materials in 2023.

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 suppliers rated according to sustainability criteria³ to 100 % by 2025.

Responsible sourcing of all strategic biological raw materials by 2025.

All suppliers were subjected to a sustainability risk assessment.

Sustainable sourcing of 95 % of our strategic biological raw materials in 2023.

Supplier screening, certifications and audits; (EcoVadis, SEDEX); involvement in international (industry) initiatives (SAI, FSC, CDP Supply Chain Program, Rainforest Alliance, RSPO, GIZ, Save The Children, IFFO, etc.)

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.

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, such as AIM-PROGRESS and IFRA-IOFI.

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 2023.

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 15.0 % of sales from new product developments², we again exceeded our target value in the reporting year.

We exceeded the target of >15 % once again.

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 2023, our effective group tax rate was 25.8 %.

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

Safe working culture and reduction in frequency of accidents to MAQ⁶ < 1.5 by 2025.

Maintaining the high level of the safety management system of the plants.

Regular Management Safety Visits of global managers.

Thanks to our Symsafe activities the MAQ rate has been reduced: to 2.3 MAQ⁶ accident frequency.

The Symsafe initiatives were maintained and reinforced in all regions and segments.

Management safety visits, ISO 45001 at selected sites with internal and external audits, certifications and inspections, safety risk management programs with internal audits, continuous safety training courses for all employees. Focus on preventive measures, KPIs and initiatives.

Product development & manufacturing processes

Use of water

Reduction of water use⁷ by 15 % at all production sites in arid regions by 2025.

Water use at sites in regions with water stress⁷ dropped by 30.9 % as a result of considerably redoubling efforts to reduce water consumption.

65 % of our suppliers⁴ 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.

Extensive options to use training and continuing education offerings via our learning platform, which is accessible worldwide.

Talent management, personnel development and employee recruitment, coaching & mentoring, learning management system (LMS), digital learning platform (Skillsoft)

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.”

38.2 % of the 12,435 employees⁵ in 2023 were women.

Due to restructuring, the share of women at the first level of management declined slightly to 13.5 % in 2023, although the pipeline is well stocked. On the second management level, women account for 38.0%.

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.

Policy on handling animal experiments published.

Animal welfare policy, commitment to international animal welfare standards with partners, supplier qualification, supplier assessments and audits, traceability

Raw materials