Innovation for Sustainability (I4S) Assessment Tool: A Framework for Smarter Sustainable Innovation

As sustainability expectations rise across industries, companies are under increasing pressure to demonstrate not just ambition, but measurable impact, particularly during research and product development. At IFF, as we strive to create first-to-market solutions that support the transition to a more sustainable world, we aim for new innovations to have a sustainability value proposition that supports people and planet.

To track and measure our progress, we developed the Innovation for Sustainability (I4S) Assessment—a science-based framework used to evaluate the sustainability performance of our innovation projects.
As a sustainability assessment tool grounded in lifecycle thinking, I4S helps translate complex environmental and social considerations into actionable innovation decisions.

The methodology assesses relevant sustainability risks and benefits—along with their magnitude and likelihood to materialize—across the full product lifecycle, resulting in a clear determination of each innovation’s sustainability value proposition. 

Over the last three years, the insights from this tool have enabled us to: 

• Identify risks and opportunities earlier in concept and development stages 
• Integrate sustainability criteria into innovation pipelines  
• Evaluate sustainability benefits and risks across the full lifecycle 
• Strengthen transparency and cross-functional decision-making  
• Translate insights into clear sustainability value propositions  
• Enhance the robustness of our innovation portfolio and its impact for customers and consumers

What is I4S – and Why it Matters Early

Sustainability assessment tools typically evaluate the environmental, social and economic impacts of products or processes. They are usually used retrospectively—to measure and report impact after a product has already been developed and commercialized.

However, many of the most impactful sustainability decisions are made well before a product reaches the market.

Choices around raw materials, formulation, processing methods and supply chains ultimately shape a product’s environmental and social footprint across our entire lifecycle. Addressing these factors late in development is often costly, inefficient and limited in impact.

The Innovation for Sustainability (I4S) Assessment was developed to help close this gap. 

Unlike traditional sustainability assessment software focused on reporting, retrospective measurement and compliance, I4S is designed to inform decision-making as innovations progress toward commercialization. It enables teams to assess potential outcomes, identify risks ahead of commercialization and strengthen products’ sustainability value propositions. Increasingly, these insights are also being applied earlier in development—helping guide design choices where possible and reinforcing more proactive sustainability integration.

For example, in 2024, I4S was embedded more deeply in IFF’s product development process. We incorporated a forward-looking version of the assessment early in the process to ensure that project teams consider the potential sustainability benefits and risks of the future product, and what must be true to maximize its potential sustainability value proposition.

To further support earlier-stage screening, in 2025 we introduced an AI-powered tool that helps identify potential sustainability risks and benefits. The agent scans project information, reviews publicly available data and applies the I4S methodology to summarize potential strengths and weaknesses—while recommending next steps. While subject to standard AI limitations, it has proven effective in reducing friction and increasing adoption of I4S across product development teams.

I4S Phases to Identify a Sustainability Value Proposition

I4S follows a clear, three-phase process: 

1. Identify: Key sustainability criteria across the lifecycle, including climate, water, biodiversity, circularity and supply chain-related criteria 

2. Assess: Evaluate benefits and risks relative to a benchmark, scoring magnitude and likelihood 

3. Determine: Confirm whether the innovation meets the threshold for a sustainability value proposition—or define improvement actions 

The outcome of the three-phase I4S assessment is a determination of whether an innovation delivers a clear sustainability value proposition. To qualify, a product must demonstrate: 

• A material and realistic sustainability benefit compared to its benchmark 

• A high likelihood of that benefit being realized 

• No significant unmanageable risks, including “showstopper” risks 

Showstopper risks—such as potential exposure to severe human rights violations in a supply chain—must be mitigated, or the product will not meet the threshold for a sustainability value proposition. 

Inside the Assessment Tool: Methodology Explained

The I4S methodology evaluates sustainability performance across the full product lifecycle, addressing impacts across raw material acquisition, production and manufacturing, distribution, customer application and consumer use and end-of-life.

This end-to-end perspective ensures that sustainability is evaluated holistically—capturing trade-offs and opportunities across the entire value chain. Where available, the results of life cycle assessment (LCA) also inform I4S evaluations. While not a standalone lifecycle assessment tool, I4S draws on LCA insights and principles to evaluate sustainability impacts across the full product lifecycle. When data is limited, internal subject matter experts—including LCA specialists—provide directional assessments supported by documented rationale.

Building on this lifecycle approach, I4S evaluates new innovations for relevant sustainability risks and benefits in both relative and absolute terms, considering magnitude and likelihood.

In this way, I4S functions as a comprehensive environmental impact assessment tool — bringing together lifecycle insights, risk and benefit evaluation and benchmark comparison to support more informed innovation decisions.

Along with LCA insights, another defining feature of the I4S framework is its emphasis on benchmark-based evaluation. Rather than assessing a product in isolation, each innovation is compared against the most relevant real-world alternative—whether an existing in-market solution, an alternative technology or a non-use scenario.

The selection of the appropriate benchmark is guided by a structured internal decision framework and requires input from cross-functional teams, including market-facing and sustainability experts.

Key Benefits of the I4S Framework

By integrating lifecycle thinking into innovation strategy, over the three years since we introduced I4S internally, we have worked to translate sustainability from ambition into action. Key benefits observed through this process include: 

• Strengthened innovation portfolios aligned with sustainability priorities 

• Improved visibility of risks and opportunities ahead of commercialization 

• Clear articulation of sustainability value propositions 

• Improved transparency and decision confidence across teams 

• Cross-functional alignment across R&D, sustainability and commercial functions 

And the impact has been measurable and meaningful.  

Percentage of Products in Scope for I4S with a Sustainability Value Proposition*

73% – 2025 launches 
77% – 2023-2025 average 

Partnerships of Impact: A Collaborative Approach to Innovation

At IFF, we believe sustainable innovation is inherently collaborative and not achieved in isolation—but rather built through partnership.

The I4S framework has been a way for us to bring together cross-functional expertise across R&D, sustainability and LCA experts, supply chain and commercial teams—ensuring that each assessment reflects technical rigor, environmental insight and market relevance.

Assessments have been conducted by consensus, ensuring that diverse perspectives—technical, environmental and market-driven—inform each decision.

This collaborative model is intended to not only help us strengthen IFF’s partnerships across internal teams, but also as a way to co-create solutions with our customers amidst evolving expectations. Validating sustainability value propositions ahead of commercialization can, for example, help inform formulation and sourcing decisions and substantiate sustainability claims with confidence.

In this way, I4S has served as a bridge to connect internal innovation with external impact—supporting more resilient, future-ready value chains.

Real-World Application: Tonka Bean CO₂ Absolute

Over the years, IFF’s I4S framework has come to life through its evaluation of real innovations—such as the Tonka Bean CO₂ Absolute, which originates from the Amazon rainforest. Developed in 2025 by LMR Naturals by IFF, it is part of LMR’s Conscious Collection, a line of 12 highly sustainable and traceable natural ingredients for perfumes and flavors.  

I4S in Action: Tonka Bean CO₂ Absolute
Assessment: New natural extract produced with renewable and recycled supercritical CO2 (as opposed to traditional solvent extraction) while maintaining true-to-nature profile of freshly harvested tonka beans.
1. Identify	2. Assess	3. Determine
Defines key sustainability factors across the lifecycle • Sourcing • CO₂ extraction vs. traditional method • Energy & emissions in processing • Growing demand for more sustainable natural ingredients	Benchmarked against conventional solvent extraction • ~34% lower carbon footprint vs. traditional extraction • Lower energy use through CO2  process • Preserves delicate aromatic compounds • No significant unmanaged risks	Validated through I4S criteria • Clear sustainability value proposition • Material, measurable benefit vs. benchmark • High likelihood of benefit realization • Strong performance + sensory profile
Outcome: I4S enabled a structured, science-backed evaluation—resulting in a validated sustainability value proposition that supports customer innovation.

Turning Sustainability into a Measurable Innovation Driver  

The introduction of I4S at IFF represented a shift in how we approached sustainable innovation. It marked an important step in strengthening our ability to align scientific development with sustainability strategy, while increasing transparency across our innovation pipeline. As we close out this phase of the program in 2026, we are carrying forward key learnings into our product evaluation and development decisions across our business units, including integrated lifecycle thinking, scientific rigor and cross-functional collaboration.

We know this strong foundation will help us continue to deliver more through our innovations, from better-informed product development and stronger sustainability value propositions to scalable, real-world impact.

As Michael Babicki, Director, Environmental Sustainability and Reporting, explains:

“Over the past three years that the I4S program has officially been in place, we’ve gained critical knowledge around how to better support the sustainability initiatives of our customers and the value chains they serve. We’ve strengthened sustainability literacy across key stages of the innovation process– from development through to product positioning and claims substantiation. Moving forward, we’ll create business-specific sustainable innovation programs to support our customers’ sustainability journeys.”

As IFF now evolves I4S into tailored, business-specific innovation programs, the focus remains clear: partnering with customers to co-create solutions that advance sustainability across value chains. 

Frequently Asked Questions