Givaudan Celebrates a Decade of Success

22 Jan 2016 --- Givaudan is marking a milestone in its journey to sustainable natural ingredients with an event celebrating ‘Ten years of Ethical Sourcing’ in Paris.

The event showcases a selection of innovations and inspirations among Givaudan’s key natural ingredients such as tonka beans from Venezuela, ylang ylang from Mohéli, vetiver from Haiti, patchouli from Indonesia and cistus from Spain.

Gilles Andrier, CEO of Givaudan says: “We are proud to mark this milestone in our journey to sustainable natural ingredients. By taking a long-term approach to securing the most fragile natural supply chains and supporting local communities, Givaudan is working to create a virtuous circle in line with our 2020 strategy of responsible growth and shared success for customers, communities and the company.”

FoodIngredientsFirst spoke with Maro Van Andel, Sustainability Manager Flavours: “As part of our sustainability initiative for flavors and fragrances, Givaudan has a partnership with Henri Fraise Fils, a well- established exporter in Madagascar focused on vanilla and other important raw materials. Through our partnership we devote resources to promote efficient rice cultivation techniques in communities in order to improve their food autonomy.”

Van Andel adds: “Our programme also includes the building and renovation of schools to provide educational opportunities for children in vanilla growing communities.”

Givaudan began pioneering an ethical sourcing approach in the fragrance and flavors industry a decade ago. Starting out with partnerships with local producers, the Company today uses different sourcing models including its own collection networks.

Givaudan’s Origination team creates a human chain from growers to consumers by deploying dedicated employees in the countries of origin, fostering best practices in sourcing and ensuring that producers and local communities benefit in the long-term from supplying the industry.

Sourcing natural ingredients also provides new opportunities for creative stimulation and innovation. Exploring raw materials at the source and combining them with ingredients obtained through the latest techniques such as bioscience has led to innovations like Akigalawood®, a new natural product derived from patchouli, and Roasted Tonka, an intense aroma obtained through an exclusive roasting process. These techniques provide Givaudan’s perfumers and flavourists new ways of working with naturals and further enrich the palette of over 200 of the highest quality natural ingredients that Givaudan offers its customers, including sandalwood, tonka bean, benzoin, vanilla, ylang ylang, lavender, vetiver, patchouli and cistus.

“The way we source is a key part of operating sustainably, working to ensure that those we buy from demonstrate best practice and operate to the highest standards of social responsibility, Van Andel tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

“In our production processes we are reducing water use and energy use at our operations around the world. We have substantial eco-efficiency targets that we have strengthened in 2015, two examples of which are at our Jaguaré site in Brazil and our Naarden site in the Netherlands,” he adds.

At our site in Brazil we have put plans in place which have enabled us to have continuous production while at the same time reducing water usage. This has meant a 55% reduction in the amount of water used per tonne of product in the last five years. In the Netherlands we are re-using cleaned waste water, so decreasing our water use by 12,000 cubic metres – the equivalent of six Olympic sized swimming pools every year.”

The company’s long-term commitment to sustainable sourcing of natural ingredients is further reinforced by the actions of the Givaudan Foundation. Launched in 2014, the non-profit organization is dedicated to improving the social conditions of local communities through programs for education, health and protection of the environment.

by Elizabeth Kenward