A sense of responsibility, a commitment to sustainability
Introducing the IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter
More than one hundred companies have signed the IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter, supporting a collective effort to raise the bar for sustainability in the flavor and fragrance sectors.
Our voluntary framework demonstrates our sense of responsibility and our commitment to making the difference for the planet, for people and for our business.
Our Charter is open, inclusive and comprehensive, taking a life-cycle approach and giving the opportunity and tools for everyone in our industries to contribute to a brighter and more sustainable future.
Visit the IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter website »
In June 2021 we published our first Sustainability Report, where we present the state of play - how signatory companies are fulfilling or working towards the Commitments in the Charter.
The results are impressive, both in terms of the percentage of the industries by market share and in terms of individual companies (our industries including many small or medium-sized enterprises).
In the coming years we hope to further improve thanks to the Charter's collective framework and the tools provided to help raise the bar across the industry.
The Sustainability Charter complements sustainability projects carried out by many of our members around the world.
We have collected a series of 'Sustainability Stories' highlighting work supporting community relations, education, waste reduction, sourcing and technology transfer.
See our Sustainability Stories »
On this page
Raising the bar for sustainability
The IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter raises the bar for sustainability in the flavor and fragrance sectors, providing a new collective framework to enhance our industries’ contribution to sustainable development.
Our Charter builds on our proud heritage and on the long-standing commitment to sustainable development across its many dimensions that has been shown by many individual companies in the flavor and fragrance sectors.
A voluntary initiative, the Charter complements company sustainability programs, helping our industries as a whole to make advances on sustainability by sharing best practice and benchmarking progress.
Making the difference – for planet, people and business
The IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter is our industries’ collective contribution to improving our environmental, social and economic sustainability performance for the planet, for people and for our business, inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Our Charter underlines the central role sustainability plays in our business: we play a pivotal and unique role in sourcing a wide range of raw materials from natural and synthetic origin and turning them – with the help of cutting-edge science – into valued high-end products.
We act responsibly, using our influence throughout the value chain to drive positive change upstream, with farmers and other suppliers; in our own industries; and downstream, with consumer goods companies and retailers.
Our Charter reflects the core principles that have guided our work in the past and set the path for a sustainable future: a commitment to human and environmental health and safe use, and to exceptional product performance; a focus on innovation and on economic sustainability and prosperity; and a spirit of transparency.
Sustainability in every sense – taking a life-cycle approach
The IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter takes a life-cycle approach to sustainability, with Focus Areas and specific Commitments ranging from responsible sourcing and reducing our environmental footprint, to employee well-being, to product safety, transparency and partnerships.
Our Charter is aspirational and has clear and achievable Commitments, allowing companies of all sizes to make a contribution to improving the overall sustainability of our industries.
The initiative is open, voluntary and inclusive, committing our industries to the objectives of raising awareness, providing businesses with the tools to improve, reporting on progress, building trust with stakeholders, and identifying opportunities for collaboration.
Our Charter is a platform to share best practice, progress and ideas: we are committed to continued engagement and dialogue with participants, suppliers and customers, and other stakeholders.
