Symrise and Van Aroma expand their sustainable patchouli program into Sumatra

20 Oct 2021 --- Global fragrance supplier Symrise and Van Aroma, a producer of Indonesian natural flavor and fragrance ingredients are expanding their Sustainable Patchouli program into Sumatra, a Western Indonesian island. The move aims to increase sustainable sourcing of patchouli oil for the fragrance industry.

The program aims to expand sustainable fragrance ingredient sourcing since patchouli oil farming causes the soil to be easily depleted of its vital nutrients.

Through the patchouli program the farmers can be taught on how to cultivate patchouli effectively through beneficial agricultural practices.

The sustainable patchouli program expansion into Sumatra will grow the network for Good Agricultural Practices in patchouli cultivation. The greater geographical spread will boost the resilience of the patchouli supply chain and enable farmers to safeguard a fair income and sustainable business.

“The partnership aims to help the farmers to cultivate patchouli and improve their livelihood sustainably, to stop the crop from migrating and us to get a stable supply chain,” Dr. Norbert A. Braun, vice president of Innovation & QC Scent & Care at Symrise Asia Pacific, tells PersonalCareInsights.

“Traceability is key in a modern world – consumers want to know where the raw materials used in a product are coming from.”The program will help farmers to enjoy a fair income and enhanced business security.

This is echoed by Innova Market Insights data that unveils six in ten consumers globally are interested in ingredient provenance.

Patchouli oil is used in various personal care offerings, including fine fragrances, comments Ramkumar Venkataraman, vice president of global sustainable sourcing purchasing at Symrise Asia Pacific Scent & Care Division.

“Patchouli is one of the top ten natural key ingredients for fragrances and used in personal care, fine fragrances and especially in home care. We invested in this program together with Van Aroma to help farmers to ensure sustainable cultivation of patchouli that helps secure a stable supply chain and a reliable quality,” he adds.

Impact on fragrance ingredient sourcing
Patchouli has migrated through the Indonesian archipelago due to the lack of good agricultural practices, notes Braun.

“Fields have been used for cultivation for some time and then abandoned as patchouli is not growing anymore on these due to soil depletion. With this initiative, we will achieve a stable supply chain by helping the farmers working with their soil in a way so that it can recover through good agricultural practices.”

Symrise and Van Aroma signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PT Sirukam Lumbung Nagari for the rejuvenation of cultivation in the region. This forms a further step of the program launched by Symrise in 2017 in association with Van Aroma.Symrise, through the program, will access a reliable supply of high-quality, sustainable patchouli oil.

Enhancing farmers livelihood
The program will allow patchouli farmers to learn to understand sustainable cultivation practices better as patchouli farming tends to take the nutrients from the soil relatively quickly, resulting in the destruction of crops and significantly impacting the livelihood of the farmers.

The program shows commitment to helping patchouli farming communities cultivate the crop sustainably and cost-effectively while generating the best quality patchouli oil.

“We expect this collaboration to combine the vast expertise and knowledge of Symrise and Van Aroma with our understanding of local conditions and farming culture and to bring sustainable cultivation of patchouli to West Sumatra,” says Budi Budar, owner of PT.

“Sumatra Patchouli Oil comes with a sweet woody note only found here in Sumatra. We must do something to help preserve this treasure for generations to come,” adds Sirukam Lumbung Nagari. Sandeep Tekriwal, CEO of Van Aroma.

The program aims to work with authorities and farming communities to promote the benefits of eco-friendly Patchouli cultivation. The program also uses technology to reach and inform farmers.

Tracking Symrise’s moves
Symrise continues to expand with new product offerings and partnerships. In September, Symrise updated its perfumers’ compendium to easily incorporate symbols to pinpoint fragrance ingredients from renewable raw materials. Also, the company launched an unadulterated version of ethylhexylglycerin, Hydrolex E, for use in NPD.

Meanwhile, Symrise’s cosmetic division acquired 25% of Kobo Products to expand its presence into UV filters.

By Nicole Kerr