Firmenich Recognized as Global Environmental Leader with CDP Triple "A" Listing for Third Year Running

One of only two companies worldwide to achieve "A" in climate, water and forests for three consecutive years

GENEVA, Switzerland, Dec. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, is today recognized by CDP as a leader in corporate sustainability, with a Triple "A" for climate change, water security, and forests for the third consecutive year. The gold standard of corporate environmental reporting places Firmenich among only 10 companies worldwide with a Triple "A" listing in 2020 out of more than 9,600 responses, the highest ever participation.

"We are immensely proud to achieve a 'triple-triple' – one of only two companies in the world to have ever been ranked triple "A" by CDP three years in a row. Thank you to all the exceptional people at Firmenich who deliver against our ambitious targets every day, advancing our commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030," said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO, Firmenich. "With this decade being the warmest on record according to the UN, it is imperative to act fast and be bold on environmental actions and leadership."

Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, said: "The scale of the risk to businesses from climate change, deforestation and water insecurity is enormous, and we know the opportunities of action far outweigh the risks of inaction. Leadership from the private sector will create an 'ambition loop' for greater government action and ensure that global ambitions for a net zero sustainable economy become a reality."

"We extend our congratulations to Firmenich for being one of only two companies in the world to have achieved three triple A listings in a row, and being a pioneer in their industry," said Maxfield Weiss, Director Corporate Engagement at CDP Europe. "Taking the lead on environmental transparency and action is one of the most important steps businesses can make, and is even more impressive in this challenging year marked by COVID-19. Our A List celebrates companies like Firmenich, a leader in climate, forests and water matters alike, that is taking action today to build the sustainable economy of the future."

"By embedding environmental management in our business and engaging our supply chain, we are helping to shape a more sustainable global economy," said Neil McFarlane, Senior VP Global Quality, Health, Safety & Environment, Firmenich. "Our teams are constantly driving excellence on our journey to zero impact and we look forward to continuing our collaboration with CDP, building the future for generations to come."

The Group this year achieved 100% renewable electricity in its operations worldwide, a first for its industry. Firmenich is firmly engaged since the beginning in the "Business Ambition for 1.5C: Our Only Future", a coalition of 320 companies committed to Science-Based Targets to combat climate change. The Group is also a founding member of the One Planet Business for Biodiversity (OP2B) coalition committed to protecting and restoring cultivated and natural biodiversity.

Learn more about Firmenich's environmental achievements and goals in its latest Sustainability Report 2020, Pathways to Positive. To view it, click here.

CDP's annual environmental disclosure and scoring process is widely recognized as the gold standard of corporate environmental transparency. In 2020, over 515 investors with over US$106 trillion in assets and 150+ major purchasers with US$4 trillion in procurement spend requested companies to disclose data on environmental impacts, risks and opportunities through CDP's platform. Over 9,600 responded – the highest ever.

The full list of companies that made this year's CDP A List is available here, along with other publicly available company scores: https://www.cdp.net/en/companies/companies-scores

Note to editors

The full methodology and criteria for the A List is available on CDP's website at: https://www.cdp.net/en/guidance/guidance-for-companies under 'CDP scoring methodologies 2020'.

About Firmenich
Firmenich, the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, was founded in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1895, and has been family-owned for 125 years. Firmenich is a leading business-to-business company specialized in the research, creation, manufacture and sale of perfumes, flavors and ingredients. Renowned for its world-class research and creativity, as well as its leadership in sustainability, Firmenich offers its customers superior innovation in formulation, a broad and high-quality palette of ingredients, and proprietary technologies including biotechnology, encapsulation, olfactory science and taste modulation. Firmenich had an annual turnover of 3.9 billion Swiss Francs at end June 2020. More information about Firmenich is available at www.firmenich.com.

About CDP
CDP is a global non-profit that drives companies, cities and governments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, safeguard water resources and protect forests. Voted number one climate research provider by investors and working with institutional investors with assets of US$106 trillion, we leverage investor and buyer power to motivate companies to disclose and manage their environmental impacts. Over 9,600 companies with over 50% of global market capitalization disclosed environmental data through CDP in 2020. This is in addition to the hundreds of cities, states and regions who disclosed, making CDP's platform one of the richest sources of information globally on how companies and governments are driving environmental change. CDP, formerly carbon disclosure project, is a founding member of the We Mean Business coalition. www.cdp.net/en/cities or follow us @cdp to find out more. 

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