Firmenich, the world's leading private fragrance and flavor company, becomes a member of the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT), a non-profit association that promotes respectful sourcing. UEBT membership recognizes that Firmenich operates worldwide according to ethical sourcing principles and has developed effective work plans for its supply chains on biodiversity, fair and equitable benefit sharing, local development and labor rights.
"Our Natural Products Centre of Expertise in Grasse has been a member of UEBT since 2014 and now we are proud to join the organization on a global level, having passed their independent assessment with flying colors," said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO of Firmenich. "UEBT is known for setting high standards and working with companies on biodiversity, making this partnership a key step for our ESG 2030 goals on responsible sourcing. By integrating biodiversity protection into all our natural sourcing from 50 countries, we are making a real difference for people, planet and society, and offering our customers the highest quality natural raw materials from sustainable sources."
As a prerequisite for becoming a UEBT member worldwide, Firmenich's commitments to its biodiversity policy and responsible sourcing system have been assessed by the UEBT in accordance with its principles.
"We have designed and agreed a clear work plan with UEBT for the next three years," added Boet Brinkgreve, President of Ingredients. "Our aim is to drive the continuous improvement of local producers in our value chains and to ensure appropriate risk management systems across our natural products sourcing portfolio. Through this collaboration, we also aim to achieve certification for many of our key ingredients by 2030."
Firmenich is also the first company in the world to have obtained, in 2021, the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Due Diligence Verification recently launched by the UEBT, which examined the system used by Firmenich to comply with the rules linked to the Nagoya Protocol on ABS. ABS ensures that benefits arising from biodiversity-based research and development are shared fairly and equitably, including through sustainable practices and collaboration with local communities.
"Firmenich has set clear targets for 2030 for sourcing in a way that respects people and biodiversity," commented Rik Kutsch Lojenga, UEBT Director. "A robust implementation strategy is currently being deployed by Firmenich to ensure that these goals are met and that a positive impact is generated for people and biodiversity. By joining the UEBT, the Firmenich Group commits to continuous improvement by emphasizing local practices in its responsible sourcing due diligence system and supplier support program. We look forward to working with Firmenich on this."
As part of its Naturals Together platform, Firmenich is building its leadership in natural products on three pillars: sustainable sourcing standards; certified ingredient collections with strong involvement at source; and innovation.
Membership of UEBT supports the Group's ambitions for sourcing in a way that respects people and biodiversity.
