Givaudan

Stakeholder engagement
Givaudan discloses an overview of its stakeholder engagement activities, including the concerns and issues discussed via these activities for each stakeholder group and how the company has addressed and integrated the outcomes of this engagement process into its sustainability strategy. The issues raised cover sustainability topics that align with the three benchmark dimensions of environment, nutrition and social inclusion. Furthermore, Givaudan discloses the different means of engagement with each stakeholder group.

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions
Givaudan discloses its scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions and reports progress against a time-bound target for 2030. Indeed, Givaudan commits to reducing absolute direct and indirect emissions by 70% by 2030 against a 2015 baseline. The targets covering GHG emissions from company operations (scope 1 and 2) are consistent with reductions required to keep warming to 1.5 degrees and have been approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).

No leading practices were identified for the company in the nutrition measurement area.

No leading practices were identified for the company in the social inclusion measurement area.

Sustainable development strategy
Givaudan discloses a materiality matrix that identifies the 24 most material issues to the company as well as objectives that align with the benchmark’s three measurement areas, which are part of its 2025 strategy. This outlines the process for identifying and prioritising its most relevant sustainability topics. However, Givaudan does not report progress against time-bound targets across its most relevant material issues, presenting an opportunity for the company in future reporting.

Governance and accountability
Givaudan discloses a person within the Executive Committee who is responsible for reviewing the company’s sustainable development strategy. Givaudan also confirms that accountability for and oversight of its sustainability strategy lies with the highest governance body, the board of directors. Moreover, the company discloses its decision-making process and oversight responsibilities alongside its management and executive-level remuneration policy regarding sustainability. Nonetheless, the remuneration policy is not across all three benchmark measurement areas, and the company does not disclose sufficient information on aligning the director’s remuneration with sustainability targets, offering an opportunity for the company to increase its disclosure in this area.

Soil health and agrobiodiversity
Through its responsible sourcing policy, the company discloses qualitative evidence that it expects suppliers to apply regenerative agriculture practices that promote biodiversity. However, the company can improve by strengthening its commitments and reporting on this topic and soil health. Notably, it can set targets to increase the percentage of production from sustainable practices that improve soil health and agrobiodiversity, report progress against these targets and disclose quantifiable data on its impact on soil health and agrobiodiversity.

Water use
While Givaudan provides information on quantitative reductions in total water use in its operations, it is currently in the process of defining a new target for reducing its water withdrawals across its operations. Beyond defining this new target, the company should also look to report on water-stressed areas within its operations and supply chain and disclose the proportion of withdrawals from water-stressed areas.

Food loss and waste
The company provides some evidence of addressing food loss and waste in its operations and facility sites. Nonetheless, the company could increase its level of reporting by providing quantitative evidence of reducing food loss and waste across its operations and defining time-bound targets to address the issue.

Availability of healthy foods
Givaudan discloses a commitment to support the production of healthy and nutritious foods through its business operations and portfolio of products. The company provides qualitative evidence of activities that contribute to increasing the production and variety of healthy and nutritious foods as well as improving the nutritional quality of foods through its Nutri range. However, there is insufficient quantitative evidence of its activities, offering an opportunity for the company to increase its disclosure on this topic.

Accessibility and affordability of healthy foods
The company does not disclose a commitment to address food insecurity by improving the accessibility and affordability of healthy and nutritious foods.

Food safety
Givaudan demonstrates compliance with relevant national regulations regarding its sector, including in its business-to-business work and the expectations it has of suppliers, as laid out in a vendor policy. However, the company does not provide evidence that 100% of its operations are certified to a food safety scheme recognised by the Global Food Safety Initiative or other widely recognised industry-specific certifications.

Farmer and fisher productivity and resilience
Givaudan has a commitment to support farmers and small-scale producers in its agricultural value chain and provides evidence of activities which support these groups. However, there is an opportunity for the company to further increase its disclosure in this area by providing quantitative evidence of the impact of its support activities to these groups.

Forced labour
The company indicates that it will not use forced labour and does not retain workers’ personal documents or restrict workers’ freedom of movement in its own operations. It also requires its suppliers to adhere to the same standard by codifying it in its responsible sourcing policy. However, the scope of the company’s monitoring processes for forced labour do not cover all of its operations and supply chain, offering an opportunity for Givaudan to expand this across its business.

Land rights
Givaudan has a commitment to recognise and respect legitimate tenure rights related to the ownership and use of land of local communities. It also requires its suppliers to adhere to a similar standard by codifying it in its responsible sourcing policy. Moreover, the company discloses that it has a grievance mechanism that is accessible to external stakeholders and that its supply chain must also provide such a mechanism. To improve further, the company could disclose its process for providing prompt and adequate remediation when cases are discovered, which includes access to justice when relevant parties are negatively affected

Givaudan publicly commits to respecting both human rights and the rights of workers in its operations and supply chain. It also has a grievance mechanism for workers but does not extend this to external parties by confirming if the mechanism is accessible to all external individuals and communities who may be adversely impacted by the company.. Similarly, the company lacks public disclosure on how it engages with stakeholders whose human rights have been or may be affected by its activities. Lastly, it does not share evidence of how or if it identifies human rights risks and impacts, nor how it integrates and acts on these topics beyond child labour.

Givaudan commits to health and safety, collective bargaining, workforce diversity and gender equality, but it lacks disclosure on their implementation and monitoring. Regarding health and safety, this could include disclosing data on work-related injuries within the company’s operations and supply chain. In terms of collective bargaining, the company could report on how it works to support its supply chain partners in upholding freedom of association and collective bargaining. Moreover, there is a lack of information on regulating working hours and ensuring a living wage for its own employees and workers in its supply chain.

Givaudan has publicly available policies and statements covering responsible tax and lobbying as well as bribery and corruption issues. However, the company offers no further has an opportunity to disclosure further in these areas, including on the amount of tax paid in each jurisdiction where the company is a resident for tax purposes or on by disclosing the scope of third parties for accessing its grievance mechanism for reporting bribery and corruption issues. the accessibility of the mechanism for reporting bribes or corrupting behaviour . Moreover, there is insufficient information in the public domain on the company’s approach to data protection.