More than 100 companies contribute to first ‘state of play’ analysis of F&F industry sustainability actions The 2020-21 Sustainability Report (ifra-iofi.org/report) is published by The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and…

More than 100 companies contribute to first ‘state of play’ analysis of F&F industry sustainability actions

The 2020-21 Sustainability Report (ifra-iofi.org/report) is published by The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and the International Organization of the Flavor Industry (IOFI). It outlines the state of play in five Focus Areas that form part of the IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter – a collective commitment to raise the bar across the industries, which was launched in July 2020 and now has 126 signatories. A third of these signatories are from the AsiaPacific region. 

Asia-Pacific plays an integral role in the end-to-end global supply chain and research and development (R&D) activities of the fragrance and flavor industries. The Asia Pacific region is a key supplier of raw materials, being the largest producers of mint, cedarwood, patchouli, other spices, and herbs. Extracts of these materials are essential ingredients in the manufacturing process of personal care, hygiene and sanitizing products. These products are widely consumed across the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.  

With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for such products maintained good growth driven by the awareness of consumers on the need to maintain hygiene, at a personal level as well as at home, to reduce the chances of infection. Across the value-chain, it is creating new markets and job opportunities, and propelling workforce upskilling, with safe use and sustainability as key considerations as the market grows. 

As such, it is heartening that the results show that more than two in every three companies who responded to a survey, representing more than 90 per cent of the F&F market, are already addressing the sustainability challenges outlined in the five Focus Areas: 

• On responsible sourcing,
• The environmental footprint
• On employee well-being,
• On product safety
• On transparency and partnerships

The results in the 2020-21 Report will form the baseline for future reports, allowing the industries to track progress. The Report also highlights a series of collective actions taken since the launch of the Charter eleven months ago, as well as partnerships and initiatives undertaken by IFRA and IOFI on behalf of the industries.