issue_2_2017_rev2

64 company news
Symrise wins sustainability award
As part of the DQS Sustainability Conference held in Düsseldorf on
this May, the fragrance and flavouring manufacturer Symrise was
recognised with the German Award for Excellence for international
social commitment. The globally operating Group headquartered in
Holzminden impressed the panel with its social commitment in
developing and emerging countries. In addition, the audience
awarded a prize for the most impressive sustainability short film.
Symrise received 51% of the votes for its vanilla video about its
commitment in Madagascar.
With the German Awards for Excellence, DQS annually recognizses companies that assume a leading role in the
area of sustainability. The awards are conferred in 15 different categories for corporate social and environmental
responsibility. The goal is to encourage a greater commitment to sustainability among businesses.
Society Engagement International
This year, Symrise received the German Excellence Award in the Society Engagement International category. The award
recognises international projects that promote the dialogue between companies and society and strengthen weaker civil
societies in certain regions. Symrise received the award for its commitment to grower communities in developing and
emerging markets like Madagascar and Ecuador, where important raw materials for the flavor and fragrance market such
as vanilla, vetiver and other tropical plants are grown. In cooperation with international and regional aid organisations,
other companies and government agencies, Symrise promotes stable living conditions, education and health for the people
and preservation of the local biological diversity.
“Social engagement at a local level in developing countries is not an optional extra for us, rather it is a decisive component
of our economic success,” says Hans Holger Gliewe, CSO at Symrise. “Supporting the local people ensures our long-term
growth and enhances our efficiency.”
Audience award sustainability short film
In addition, the audience awarded a prize to the film they judged to be the most convincing on the topic of sustainability.
And Symrise was able to do so. The company, based in Lower Saxony, Germany, received 51% of the votes for its entry
about its work in Madagascar. The film reported on the lives and work of small-scale vanilla farmers in Madagascar, whose
main source of income is vanilla. 7,000 small-scale farmers produce high-quality crops for Symrise. In order to improve the
lives and prospects of farming communities in Madagascar, Symrise recognised the need for an integrated sustainable
approach for the farmers and therefore introduced a range of progressive measures regarding health care, education and
diversification of crops.
“We are delighted that our schooling program and other initiatives have made a real contribution to life in Madagascar,”
explains Hans Holger Gliewe, CSO at Symrise. “The vanilla farmers and their families now have the opportunity to improve
their standard of living in the long term. In this way we are generating added value for all parties in the supply chain,
starting from the origins of the raw materials.” n
NiceLabel’s growth strategy among top ten in Europe
NiceLabel, the world’s leading developer of label and marking productivity
software solutions, was selected among the top ten European companies with
the most successful growth strategy at the European Business Awards final.
The European Business Awards, Europe’s largest business competition, is set
up to celebrate business excellence and best practice in the European
business community. 33,000 businesses from 34 countries were engaged in
the competition, sponsored by RSM and supported by business leaders,
academics and political representatives from across Europe.
Following a year-long journey, an independent judging panel selected 110 best European companies in
11 categories, including The ELITE Awards for Growth strategy of the Year. At the gala final in Dubrovnik on May 4th,
NiceLabel was awarded as one of ten Europe’s most dynamic and exciting businesses for its active demonstration of the
core values of the European Business Awards: success, innovation and ethics, and an international organic growth
strategy that has achieved outstanding levels of sales, profit and market share improvement. n
www.foodmagazine.eu.com issue two | 2017