We support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a common framework and call to action to achieve a more sustainable and equitable future for people and planet. The SDGs provide a critical roadmap to securing a socially and environmentally sustainable future, and we believe the business sector is uniquely positioned to achieve real progress against these goals.
While we embrace and support all 17 SDGs, we have identified five that are most aligned to each pillar of our Do More Good Plan and where we believe we can add the most value. We have made significant progress in our work to support the SDGs and we are continuing to do our part to drive transformational change.
IFF is a signatory of the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles, and we believe that gender equality is a fundamental human right. We were pleased in 2023 to maintain our certification (valid from 2022–2024) as EDGE Move level globally, confirming that we have closed our mean, unadjusted gender pay gap and that we offer equal pay for equivalent work (i.e., no statistically relevant gender pay gap in favor of men) in 27 countries assessed, representing approximately 90% of our employee population.
Further, we strive to assure participation of women in decision-making and governance at all levels. In 2023, we increased the percentage of women in management roles globally to 38%. We support access to child and dependent care by providing services, resources and information to both women and men. Our internal Global Parental Leave Policy provides fully paid leave for both men and women, and specifically, this Policy grants 16 weeks of 100% paid leave for all new IFF parents, regardless of gender identity and/or expression, and applies to birth parents, adoptive parents, same-sex parents, and parents who use a surrogate.
One way to facilitate sustainable development imperatives is to shift consumption patterns to reduce ecological footprints and allow for the regeneration of natural resources. IFF contributes to shifting consumption patterns by using tools such as life cycle assessment (LCA) to guide innovation and deliver more sustainable product solutions. In addition, our products often lower environmental impacts through their performance during the use phase and help our customers reach their ESG goals. For example, our animal feed enzymes reduce phosphorous and GHG emissions by limiting the need for inorganic phosphate in swine and poultry diets; our cold-water laundry enzymes enable consumers to use less energy by washing their clothes at lower temperatures; and our plant-based proteins accelerate the wider adoption of alternatives with a lower environmental footprint. In alignment with our zero waste to landfill goal, we are working to reduce our own manufacturing impacts by upcycling byproducts that would otherwise be wasted.
Learn more about our Sustainable Solutions here.
Achieving the UNFCCC goal of limiting global temperature rise requires urgent transformation of energy, industry, transport, food, agriculture and forestry systems. IFF’s LCA and sustainable innovation capabilities enable our customers and consumers to save more CO2e than IFF generates at our own manufacturing sites. Within our operations, we are reducing our carbon footprint, including a 50% reduction in absolute GHG emissions under our operational control (Scope 1 and 2) by 2030 (compared to a 2021 baseline) and sourcing 100% renewable electricity by 2030. In 2023, we made progress on executing a new vPPA in North America after completing our first-ever vPPA in Europe the previous year. Once operational, this agreement is expected to cover approximately 20 to 25% of our electricity requirements in North America. Meanwhile, the new solar field being developed under our Europe vPPA is expected to begin delivery of green electricity in mid-2025. Learn more in Environment here.
Through IFF’s Responsible Sourcing program, we are taking steps to retain the integrity and vitality of the natural resources in our value chain. Our commitment to sustainable palm oil demands that our palm oil supply chain does not contribute to deforestation, biodiversity destruction or human rights abuses. We support biodiversity through community engagement. In 2023, IFF continued our financial support to the Sungai Linau Landscape Conservation and Livelihoods Programme (SLP) in Indonesia, which is made up of both peat swamp forest and agricultural land that is mostly used for palm and fiber production. Coordinated by the non-profit organization, Proforest, the SLP aims to support community-based land use development, strengthen village members’ livelihoods, protect high-conservation-value and high-carbon-stock forest and reduce greenhouse gas emissions through forest and peat protection and restoration. Learn more about Responsible Sourcing here.
We commit to working with governments, civil society and all our stakeholders to eliminate corruption in all its forms and to strengthen the rule of law. In our own business, we strive to adhere to the highest ethical standards and act with transparency. Our business ethics and compliance programs are grounded in our Code of Conduct and tracked by our IFF SpeakUp hotline. We contribute to the development of transparent institutions and inclusive decision-making through our corporate governance structures and by linking ESG metrics for GHG emissions and DE&I to variable compensation for all eligible employees. We respect the human rights of workers and prohibit forced labor, coercion, child labor and discrimination, as outlined in IFF’s Code of Conduct, Global Human Rights Policy and Vendor Code of Conduct. We are also committed to ensuring the prevention of modern slavery and human trafficking in our business and supply chain, and we publish our Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement in compliance with the UK Modern Slavery Act.
Learn more about Ethics & Transparency here and read more about our policies here.
Read more about how we are contributing to sustainable development in our 2023 ESG+ Report