The Swiss fragrance house has embarked on its Innovative Naturals programme which it hopes will secure the supply of natural resources for the fragrances of the future.
The two ingredients involved in the programme so far are sandalwood sourced from the southern part of Western Australia and the tonka bean found in the Caura basin of Venezuela.
Australian sandalwood The first of Givaudan's partnerships is with sandalwood producer Mount Romance.
The sandalwood is harvested by people from the Aboriginal communities in the southern part of Western Australia, and Givaudan claim to be the first fragrance house to use the aboriginal source of the wood.
The company will pay a premium for the supply that will be passed to the harvesters; a transaction that will be inspected by independent indigenous certification body the Songman Circle of Wisdom.
In addition, a fund to finance harvesting equipment has been set up by Givaudan and Mount Romance bringing benefits to both the company and the harvesting communities.
Venezuelan tonka beans The second of the agreements is with the Criollo people of Venezuela's Caura basin in partnership with non-profit organisation Conservation International to ensure the sustainable sourcing of tonka beans.
Through the agreement local communities will receive technical and productivity assistance in exchange for their efforts in forest and wildlife conservation.
Like the sandalwood partnership, the agreement is to benefit both Givaudan by improving the quality and harvesting of the beans, and the local communities who will be supported in the pursuit of sustainable economic activities.
Securing resources for the future Givaudan's fragrance division has a portfolio of more than 190 natural raw materials and the Innovative Naturals programme is a way for the company to enlarge this range.
Company CEO Gilles Andrier highlighted the importance of securing future resources for companies with such a large range of natural ingredients.
"We have a responsibility in making sure that the natural resources currently used will not vanish in the future and that they are sustainable.
It is in our vital interest to secure resources going forward to be able to also create the unique fragrances in the future," said Givaudan CEO Gilles Andrier.