Symrise joins AIM industry sustainability and human rights initiative
Symrise has engaged with a global initiative from AIM, the European Brands Association, devised to unite consumer goods manufacturers and their suppliers to focus on sustainability and human rights within value chains, writes Neill Barston
As the flavours and food solutions specialist business explained, the project, known as AIM-Progress provides its members with a forum for collaborative exchange, mutual audit recognition, education and networking with similar initiatives.
According to Symrise, which has developed a broad spectrum of confectionery and bakery based applications, the new initiative enables developing joint strategies to make supply chains more sustainable and equitable quickly, efficiently and comprehensively.
The company’s move follows the release of its latest annual results, which revealed continued growth in 2020 despite pandemic conditions. Its latest figures revealed sales increased by 3.3% to € 3,5 billion taking into account portfolio and currency translation effects. In organic terms, sales rose by 2.7%, notably outperforming wider market growth.
“We have set out the framework for responsible procurement in our Supplier Guidelines and our Supplier Code of Conduct, which we developed in 2016,” says Bernhard Kott, Chief Sustainability Officer at Symrise.
“Membership in AIM-Progress will help us to improve existing processes. Thanks to the mutual recognition of audits, we can, for example, assess our suppliers more quickly according to sustainability criteria.” To this end, AIM-Progress has developed a four-stage process that checks compliance with common quality standards, among other things. This allows participating companies to see, which suppliers have already been assessed and how, for example in terms of sustainability criteria and quality.
In addition, AIM-Progress looks at human rights compliance throughout the supply chain. In doing so, it helps members develop meaningful auditing procedures for suppliers, as well as establish opportunities for employee involvement and ensure the payment of fair wages. Likewise, AIM-Progress provides information on how companies can verify human rights compliance, how workers can report violations and how companies can procure goods from sustainable sources. For this purpose, AIM-Progress provides guidelines and conducts training courses together with its members.
Planned supply assessment expansion
Symrise uses around 10,000 mainly natural raw materials from more than 1,000 suppliers from over 100 countries for its products. In doing so, the company aims to source its raw materials as sustainably and fairly as possible.
For this reason, the company has already designed its supply chain in such a way that it can trace all of its strategic raw materials completely back to their source. In addition, the company has already assessed more than two-thirds of its main suppliers according to sustainability criteria, who together account for 80 percent of its procurement volume. By 2025, this figure is expected to rise to 100 percent and consequently the procurement volume covered is expected to reach 90 percent.
“Sourcing raw materials responsibly forms an important pillar for our business success,” says Dr. Helmut Frieden, Corporate Sustainability Symrise. “Our customers’ demands for sustainability and fair wages and laws are increasing. We expressly welcome initiatives such as the German Supply Chain Act. As a member of AIM-Progress, Symrise can improve in this area and make its supply chains sustainable efficiently.
Online platform upgrade
Another key new development for the company came with its revamped its online platform for fragrance and flavour raw materials, including confectionery and bakery products.
The Ingredient Finder at symrise.com (https://www.symrise.com/scent-and-care/aromamolecules/ingredient-finder/) provides all the key information about the company’s aroma molecules in the fragrance, flavour and pharmaceutical categories.
As the company explained, its database is intuitive to use, with filter functions help users quickly find the desired data. Another advantage comes from its clear design. Symbols allow users to identify particularly renewable or high impact raw fragrance materials at a glance.
The business is presenting its aroma molecules in a new guise, with detailed information about its product portfolio and makes all important data about its fragrances, flavours and pharmaceutical raw materials available in its Ingredient Finder. The online platform scores with its clear
design, which the business is now also using for printed compendiums and data sheets.
“Technological progress provides companies with great opportunities. This also applies to the presentation of our own raw materials on our website,” says Dr. Marcus Eh, Director Global Marketing Aroma Molecules at Symrise.“
