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PRESS RELEASE

FIRMENICH REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AT COP22

Geneva, Switzerland, November 17th, 2016 Speaking at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP22) in Marrakesh, Firmenich was proud to reconfirm its commitment to combatting climate change and demonstrate how it is putting the Paris Agreement into action. Firmenich’s presence at COP22, builds on the Group’s participation at last year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21), where it announced its 2020 industry-leading environmental goals and vision to become carbon neutral.

“Firmenich is very serious about turning the ambitions of the Paris Agreement into real actions that benefit our customers, their consumers and the planet,” says Gilbert Ghostine, CEO Firmenich. “That’s why we are investing in industry-leading environmental goals, such as powering 100% of our plants with renewable energy by 2020. We are well on our way to achieving these pioneering objectives.”

Advancing the Group’s environmental ambitions, Firmenich recently inaugurated its new Perfumery Plant in Geneva. With an investment of more than CHF 60 million, the state-of-the art plant is one of the most technologically-advanced in the industry, while also being one of the most sustainable. Powered by hydroelectric generated energy, the plant has reduced its energy consumption by 20% thanks to its efficiency gains.

“Combatting climate change is a key priority for Firmenich. Today, we are the first Fragrance and Flavor house to join CDP’s Supply Chain Program as a full member,” explained David Shipman President Firmenich North America and head of Global Sustainability. “To take our performance to the next level, we are also mobilizing our key suppliers to disclose their climate and water performance data through CDP’s reporting platform.”

At COP22, Firmenich engaged in critical discussions on how to drive sustainable agriculture across Africa, through innovative public-private partnerships. “When it comes to sustainable agriculture, we have to work with all stakeholders to address social, economic and environmental issues at the same time,” says Bernard Giraud, President & Co-Founder Livelihoods Funds. “This is why we build performance-driven coalitions with public institutions, NGOs, experts and rural communities to co-create and implement impactful solutions that create value for all parties.”

“We believe in win-win partnerships to drive change in naturals,” says Dominique Roques, Head of Naturals Purchasing, Firmenich. “Our ‘Naturals Together’ community is based on new business models, shared innovation and responsible sourcing. Also, by engaging our customers with our partners in the field, we are driving change, supporting farming communities and setting the path for the future.”

Firmenich currently sources natural ingredients in over 10 countries in Africa, including Jasmine in Egypt, Ylang Ylang in the Comoros, Orange Flower in Morocco and Vanilla in both Madagascar and Uganda. The Group’s efforts in Africa alone have positively impacted the livelihoods of 15,000 farming families.

To further scale-up its impact, Firmenich joins-forces with like-minded visionary partners, of which, the Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming (Livelihoods 3F) is one example. Through Livelihoods 3F, Firmenich is able to co-create projects with the local partners in order to provide a deeper impact for the farming families at the source of our naturals. Additionally, Firmenich takes an active part in the governance of Livelihoods 3F participating on its Board and on its Investment Committee.

Launched end of 2015 with founding investors Danone, Firmenich, Mars and Veolia, Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming (L3F) aims to help companies sustainably source the materials they need from smallholder farmers, while improving their productivity, incomes, and living conditions. It aims at converting 200,000 farms to sustainable farming practices. The fund will invest 120 million euros in the next 10 years, providing upfront financing and technical support to NGOs and farmers’ cooperatives across Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is actively structuring projects around crops like milk, vanilla, cocoa and watershed preservation. (Learn more at www.livelihoods.eu)

Learn more about Firmenich’s commitments to combatting climate change and its responsible sourcing initiatives in its “Performance and Sustainability Report 2016”. To view it, click here.

 



About Firmenich



Firmenich is the world’s largest privately-owned company in the fragrance and flavor business. Founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895, it has created many of the world’s best-known perfumes and flavors that billions of consumers enjoy each day. Its passion for smell and taste is at the heart of its success. It is renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its thought leadership in sustainability and exceptional understanding of consumer trends. Each year, it invests 10% of its turnover in R&D, reflecting its continuous desire to understand, share and sublimate the best that nature has to offer. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.2 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2016.


FIRMENICH REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AT COP22
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