Press Release

IFF Recognized on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies List

NEW YORK, N.Y., (February 6, 2018) – International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE: IFF) (Euronext Paris: IFF), a leading innovator of sensory experiences that move the world, was named to Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable Companies, an index launched in February 2018. It joins the ranks of 99 other leading companies, assessed by performance in key stakeholder categories.

“I am both thrilled and proud of IFF’s inclusion in the Barron’s list,” said Andreas Fibig, IFF Chairman & CEO. “Sustainability is a key enabler of our business strategy and we are fortunate to have passionate and empowered employees who believe deeply in its value. They are the ones executing against our initiatives – and imagining new ones for us to explore.”

To create the list, Barron’s engaged with Calvert Research and Management, a US-based investment advisory firm, who analyzed the 1000 largest publicly held US companies (by market capitalization). They analyzed over 300 key performance indicators, which were organized into issues (such as water use, greenhouse gas emissions, business ethics, and product environmental impact and lifecycle) that, in turn, fell into the stakeholder categories of shareholders, employees, customers, planet, and community.

IFF’s EVP, Chief Global Scientific & Sustainability Officer Dr. Gregory Yep said, “Having this recognition is fantastic and a wonderful endorsement of the work we do every day in the name of sustainability. Our teams work hard to design and create products that they can be proud of. Every process we use and every molecule, flavor and fragrance we develop is an opportunity to make something better, smarter, and greener.”

Mr. Fibig continued, “According to Barron’s, the companies on the list outperformed the S&P 500 in terms of share price performance returns – a remarkable 29% versus 22%. This underscores my personal belief that operating in a sustainable way is not only the right thing to do, but great business, as well!”

Since 2017, the Company:

  • Certified the industry’s first Zero Waste to Landfill site (South Brunswick, NJ)
  • Partnered with Mars Wrigley on their Shub Mint initiative to support smallholder mint farmers in India through the opening of a READ center – and committed to sponsor two more
  • Joined forces with WBCSD in their FReSH initiative, targeting food waste
  • Confirmed its global sustainability leadership, being recognized on CDP’s Supplier Climate A List, Euronext’s Vigeo US Top 50 index and for its “Gold” status with EcoVadis
  • Set new sustainability standards with the opening of its Jiande, China fragrances plant
  • Acquired PowderPure to further expand its expertise and offerings for clean label solutions, as the Company creates beautiful products from the sidestream – keeping them from becoming landfill
  • Broke ground on its flavors and fragrances site in Sri City, India, with a focus on sustainable practices, including rainwater harvesting
  • Launched its employee-powered Diversity & Inclusion vision and mission, in conjunction with signing the CEO Action Pledge on Diversity & Inclusion

# # #

Meet IFF
International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (NYSE:IFF) (Euronext Paris: IFF) is a leading innovator of sensorial experiences that move the world. At the heart of our company, we are fueled by a sense of discovery, constantly asking “what if?”. That passion for exploration drives us to co-create unique products that consumers taste, smell, or feel in fine fragrances and beauty, detergents and household goods, as well as beloved foods and beverages. Our 7,400 team members globally take advantage of leading consumer insights, research and development, creative expertise, and customer intimacy to develop differentiated offerings for consumer products. Learn more at www.iff.com, Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and  LinkedIn.