Symrise has been awarded “Germany’s most sustainable large corporations 2019,” by the German Sustainability Award on Dec. 7, 2018, in Düsseldorf.
Since 2008, the award has recognized corporation’s achievements in sustainability in categories like the economy, research and architecture, among others. Working together with the German Federal Government and other partners, the award is given to companies that promote bold ideas to preserve biodiversity and support global social engagement. At the German Sustainability Conference, Heinz-Jürgen Bertram, CEO of Symrise, accepted the award from the German environmental minister Svenja Schulze in front of 1,200 political and industry leaders.
“Symrise not only uses its significant influence to secure bio-based raw materials for its own needs. At the same time, it supports threatened ecosystems with comprehensive sustainability management that has been implemented in all core processes of the company,” noted the jury in its decision.
Symrise’s Commitment to Biodiversity
This award comes after similar awards and nominations. In 2012, Symrise won the German Sustainability Award in the “Germany’s Most Sustainable Initiatives” category and was a finalist in 2016. Over the years, Symrise has worked at securing ecosystems and raw materials from around the globe. The company has educated farmers in environmental effective cultivation practices and has granted microcredits and invests in educational and professional opportunities. The company has invested in sustainable vanilla cultivation in Madagascar and responsible sourcing of bio-based raw materials for cosmetic ingredients in the Amazon region of Brazil.
Related: Symrise Supports Climate Task Force
“We see the confirmation of our strategy through the German Sustainability Award as a great honor, and this motivates us to continue,” said Bertram. “As Germany’s most sustainable large corporation, we take our position as a role model seriously. We support biodiversity in our growing regions and support local farming communities. In the process, environmental aspects also play a decisive role. In the regions of origin of our raw materials and in our production sites, we are implementing comprehensive measures to protect the environment. And it has paid off. For example, in 2016 we had already reached the goals for our environmental footprint that we had set for 2020. That’s why we have now defined even more ambitious sustainability objectives for ourselves. For example, by 2030 we want to reduce our total CO2 emissions by 18 percent.”
