Creating Added Value beyond Corporate Boundaries

Some months ago, Symrise, a global supplier of fragrances, flavors, active ingredients, and aroma chemicals, has won the German Sustainability Award 2012 in the “Germany’s Most Sustainable Initiatives” category for its approach to procure vanilla in Madagascar: Symrise closely collaborates with more than 1,000 vanilla farmers and “the entire procurement process takes place locally, from cultivation and harvesting, to the fermentation of the beans, all the way through to extraction”. The company partners with NGOs, development organizations, and farmers’ associations to ensure “that its projects in the areas of environmental protection, income diversification, nutrition, health and education continue to blossom over the long term”. Symrise benefits from these activities by receiving reliable access to top-quality raw materials. This initiative demonstrates how social responsibility, environmental protection, and business success can go hand in hand. It is also an example of good supply chain management, as added value is created beyond corporate boundaries.