Symrise speaks decarbonization after revealing AI CO2 tracker

Symrise has launched Houston, a digital tracing platform to track its greenhouse gas emissions. The digital tool, created in partnership with CO2 AI, helps the global supplier of fragrances and cosmetic active ingredients measure carbon footprints at the product and corporate levels.  

During COP30, held from October 10–21 in Belém, Brazil, Symrise demonstrated how digital innovations, combined with cross-sectoral collaborations and practical solutions, can drive meaningful change and measurable progress for the climate.  

“As a German company acting in Brazil, we believe that nature acts as our greatest ally in the fight against climate change. By reducing carbon in the products that delight the senses, we protect the ecosystems that inspire them and the communities that nurture them,” a Symrise spokesperson tells Personal Care Insights.

“Symrise actively engages stakeholders to drive sustainable development. As a concrete example, we have co-chaired the Bioeconomy Working Group at Sustainable Business COP. This global initiative aims at enabling private sector contributions to COP negotiations with actionable recommendations and showcase projects.”

Impact from cosmetic industry

By merging carbon data, Houston provides real-time insights and ensures companies align with regulations. Meanwhile, the platform has a robust governance structure that supports transparency and traceability, according to Symrise.

“At Symrise, we consider value chain data transparency an essential enabler to understand hot spots and prioritize action plans. In doing so, we can foster the transformation journey with collaboration and concrete steps,” says the spokesperson.

The company also states that the platform’s structure enables Symrise to advance in scalable decarbonization.

“From a global and more generic point of view, AI-based tools hold tremendous potential. They enable cross-sectoral value chains to identify complex sustainability matters and their interdependencies. So far, this has represented a key barrier for effective scalable measures.”

Symrise says the platform’s structure enables the company to advance in scalable decarbonization.Data-driven impact

The Symrise spokesperson tells us that understanding the company’s carbon impact on the supply chain provides the key to stimulating more sustainable alternatives.

“It fosters innovative processes and products. As we make progress with our sustainability or digital roadmap, we can incorporate additional attributes into the tool. This expansion will provide Symrise and its partners with the ability to measure, track, and take action on various sustainability items.”

Dr. Isabella Tonaco, chief sustainability officer at Symrise, adds that Houston’s launch marks a milestone in the specialty chemical company’s decarbonization journey. 

“CO2 AI’s platform serves as an enabler to accelerate our vision of a unified carbon accounting language that supports both corporate and product purposes,” says Tonaco.

“By integrating this robust solution, we empower our organization and partners to make data-driven decisions with full confidence and to accelerate progress on our sustainability goals. As co-chair of the Bioeconomy Working Group, I joined industry peers to accelerate progress together, advancing collaborative work that turns proven pilots into scalable practice.” 

The personal care industry is shifting its focus to prioritize carbon reduction. 

UK-based company Viridi recently unveiled Vireya, the “world’s first” anionic surfactant that captures CO2 as a principal feedstock. Earlier this year, Dow Personal Care debuted its first silicone elastomer blends under the Decarbia reduced carbon platform.

Tonaco from Symrise concludes: “When senses and carbon align, we create beauty that lasts for all living things.”