Sustainable management with a circular economy
climate change can only be effectively curbed by switching from a linear to a circular economy. This can be achieved if raw materials are consistently returned to nature after use.
Since the beginning of industrialization, humans have used nature and its raw materials for their own purposes, often ignoring the consequences. This has promoted climate change, which we can clearly feel today as a result of these actions. Politics, society and business have therefore recognized that society as a whole must act together and take responsibility. The economy can make a significant global contribution. After all, a large proportion of global greenhouse gas emissions and the loss of biodiversity are caused by intensive raw material extraction and processing. If development continues at the current rate, material consumption could double by 2060. The climate and thus all ecosystems would suffer greatly as a result.
Consistent change for a good climate
If the climate is to benefit in the long term, there must be a shift from a linear to a circular economy. This approach offers and creates ways to transfer raw materials into a cycle and thus use them sustainably. In other words, every raw material is given a new or renewed area of application after its first use. It circulates permanently through the value chain.
Companies are making a significant contribution to the transition from a linear to a circular economy. Just like the globally active DAX-listed company Symrise from Holzminden. The company uses over 10,000 mostly natural raw materials and creates solutions that contribute to the nutrition, health and care of consumers around the world with taste, fragrance and functionality. Since its business model is particularly closely interwoven with nature, Symrise recognized early on that the principles of the circular economy contribute to the preservation of nature and thus its business basis. For this reason, the company's specialists have already developed numerous innovative ideas and approaches that follow the circular approach.
Focus on the biological cycle
Symrise focuses on the biological cycle, which describes those processes that first use raw materials and nutrients from the soil and then return them to it so that nature can regenerate. This means that all products are returned to nature after use. This includes consumer goods such as food and cosmetics, which are mostly made from natural raw materials, as well as side streams from other industries that the company uses for its products. The Group has set itself ambitious goals: All products that Symrise manufactures should ideally be completely biodegradable.
To achieve this, the company uses the principles of circularity in all sections of its global value chain. The circular economy is made up of five important components. Firstly, this includes regeneration: instead of extracting exclusively from nature, Symrise promotes agricultural practices that improve the soil and protect endangered biodiversity. Secondly, the company uses concepts such as regenerative agriculture along its value chain. Thirdly, composting and anaerobic decomposition are just as important components of the concept as, fourthly, cascade utilization, in which Symrise uses raw materials across several stages. And fifthly, the company uses egg, meat and fish products that are left over from food production. Symrise also uses various processes developed in-house. These include, for example, the patented Symtrap® process, which utilizes side streams that would otherwise be disposed of. The in-house developed process uses the so-called water phases (water vapor) that are produced during distillation, for example. Using a complex process, many fragrance or aroma molecules that would otherwise be lost can be extracted from this water.
These and other examples show that Symrise has already implemented important milestones in the sustainable circular economy. The company believes it has a responsibility to continue along this path. After all, nature and ecosystems need care and attention to bring them into balance.
Symrise is a global company that specializes in the development and production of fragrances, flavorings and cosmetic ingredients. It supplies various sectors such as the food, beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. Symrise pursues a sustainable corporate strategy and focuses on the circular economy in order to use raw materials efficiently and protect the environment. The company is also committed to promoting biological cycles and the regeneration of natural resources.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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