Conscious perfumery: Firmenich reports sustainability performance & unveils clean fragrance

08 Oct 2021 --- Firmenich has released its annual Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report, detailing its strong performance in Fiscal Year 2021. Meanwhile the company also introduced a clean fragrance designed exclusively for the Swiss pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, named Breath In, which taps into clean beauty trends.

“Firmenich has achieved the ambitious 2020 environmental goals it set after the COP21 climate conference. The pandemic and recent climate events show we need to keep on turbocharging our leadership across the ESG spectrum,” says Gilbert Ghostine, CEO Firmenich. 

“By taking our commitments in conscious perfumery, diet transformation and renewable ingredients to the next level, we are encouraging others to be bolder for a sustainable future.”

For nature and people
The company is accelerating its responsible business efforts to achieve progress towards its 2025 ESG goals across three key areas: climate, nature and people.

“Our ESG ambition is now embedded throughout our business, providing us all with a clear vision of the transformation we will achieve within a decade on our way to a positive-impact future,” supports Berangère Magarinos-Ruchat, chief sustainability officer at Firmenich. 

Breath In includes patchouli from Indonesia, clary sage pays from France, upcycled cedarwood Virginia from the US and Firgood Pear.Acting on climate change and driven by science-based targets, Firmenich is one of only two companies in the world to achieve a CDP Triple A rating for climate, water and forests for the third consecutive year. 

Furthermore, Firmenich has clearly decoupled its growth in manufacturing output from its CO2 emissions, with Scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions down by 37.1% since 2017. It also achieved 100% renewable electricity in its operations including in all new acquisitions. 

A zero-impact future
Firmenich is on track to reach carbon neutrality in its direct operations by 2025 and a carbon positive impact beyond that date. By 2030, Firmenich will strive to achieve absolute carbon emission reduction in line with the 1.5°C science-based targets.

In 2021, Firmenich became the first company in the world to achieve fully verified Biodiversity Risk Management (ABS) recognition. In addition, 100% of its integrated biodiversity strategy was verified by the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) and the group reached 96.3% ultimately or partially biodegradable ingredients in its fragrance portfolio.

The company also became the first company in the world to upgrade to Global Edge Move certification, raising the bar for gender equality.

In 2021, Firmenich was also rated for the first time by Sustainalytics, with a score of 8.6, which places the group as the top 1% of companies rated worldwide. 

Scent of home
Firmenich’s Breath In scent is part of a multi-sensorial experience at Expo 2020 Dubai that aims to captivate visitors by evoking the top of the Swiss Alps. 

Firmenich is on track to reach carbon neutrality in
its direct operations by 2025.“As a Swiss company, Firmenich is the Swiss pavilion’s fragrance partner in designing this multi-sensorial experience for visitors at the Expo,” says Ilaria Resta, president, global Perfumery. 

“In line with the expo’s theme of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,’ we will also be showcasing our efforts towards clean fragrances in conscious perfumery."

Firmenich has developed a holistic fragrance sustainability measurement tool, EcoScent Compass, that determines a fragrance’s sustainability footprint across three criteria: intrinsic green properties, environmental and social impact.

Breath In was created with the “CreateForGood Conscious Fragrance” design process, and has an EcoScent Compass triple A, science-based, positive impact score across renewability, biodegradability, green chemistry, carbon, water and social criteria. 

“The scent combines responsibly and ethically sourced ingredients from its Naturals Together initiative, with ingredients from the company’s Firgood collection – a new range of 100% natural extracts obtained by a sustainable proprietary extraction technology. 

The fragrance is 100% biodegradable and it includes clearwood, a 100% natural, renewable and biodegradable biotech ingredient. 

Expansion targets
Firmenich recently opened a customer experience studio in Guangzhou, China, to further expand its reach in the Chinese market. 

The studio is the company’s first integrated sensorial center in South China, allowing the company to respond to demands for tailored fragrance and health-conscious taste solutions in this fast-growing market.

In May, Firmenich entered into a strategic partnership with Essential Labs, LLC, a B2B supplier of fragrance solutions. The company also acquired a significant non-controlling interest in Essential Labs. Firmenich also introduced Olfactive Vision, a creative direction for the future of Fine Fragrance. 

By Kristiana Lalou