Conscious perfumery: Firmenich’s new European plant to ramp up production of renewable ingredients
07 Dec 2021 --- Global fragrance and taste company Firmenich is commissioning a multipurpose production unit for renewable ingredients in Castets, France. The plant will be operational in January and increase production capacity on the site by 50% to serve perfumery customers and address the demand for sustainable products.
“This additional plant at Castets strengthens our global leadership in renewable ingredients by allowing Firmenich to offer extra capacity for perfumery, providing service close to our customers in Europe and capturing growth opportunities,” says Gilbert Ghostine, CEO at Firmenich.
Ghostine adds that the facility “makes a significant contribution to our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) objective to ensure 70% of Firmenich ingredients are manufactured from renewable carbon sources by 2030.”
Cost-effective and reduced environmental impact
The multipurpose site has 17,000 square meters of production floor space spread over four floors. The company adds that it is equipped with advanced technologies to ensure the standards of efficiency, quality, health and safety in line with the group’s targets.
“The new plant is designed to extend our industrial expertise in producing pine-based ingredients from upcycled materials,” says Boet Brinkgreve, president of Ingredients, Firmenich.
“This major expansion will position Firmenich uniquely as the recognized supplier of bio-sourced and renewable ingredients and help our customers deliver on their own ESG goals.”
The plant’s multipurpose design secures supply for a diversity of finished products and a large range of intermediates. The new plant provides more cost-effective solutions with reduced environmental impact due to its proximity to the European market. The location allows reduced transportation of feedstock and finished products.
Firmenich’s multipurpose plant will increase the capacity of renewable ingredients in Europe (Credit: Firmenich).
2025 to 2030 ESG: Perfumery
As the company makes moves to achieve its ESG targets, conscious perfumery has been spotlighted as a solution in this area.
The company states that “conscious perfumery brings together the best of nature and science through a responsible and sustainable approach based on innovation and principles of Green Chemistry.”
Firmenich set out to reinvent its fragrance design with the launch of CreateForGood. CreateForGood integrates key notions of naturalness, sustainability, regulatory, transparency and sensoriality into one eco-design process.
Firmenich’s Perfumery ambition is to create performant and delightful fragrances made of renewable and sustainable ingredients that leave no trace in the environment and have a reduced carbon footprint.
By 2030, the company commits to a fragrance portfolio that will comprise 99% of ultimately or partially biodegradable ingredients, as defined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Additionally, 100% of its fragrances will be renewable, as defined by ISO 16128.
Tracking Firmenich’s previous moves
Firmenich has had a prolific year. The company recently won Digital Innovation of the year at the Digital Economy Award 2021 in Switzerland for its AI Formulae Generator for fragrances and flavor. The AI Formulae Generator enables tailored perfumery and taste solutions with speed-to-market.
And last month, the company invested 47 million CHF (US$51 million) into the construction of a Turkey-based perfumery plant, which will serve customers in the Middle East and Central Asia. Firmenich also released its annual ESG report, disclosing its strong performance this year. It also unveiled a clean fragrance called “Breathe in.”
In Guangzhou, China, a customer experience studio has been opened to expand Firmenich’s reach in the Chinese market and enhance a tailored fragrance experience.
By Nicole Kerr
