Sustainability in flavours: Givaudan’s new US$60mn Indian facility shows strong environmental-friendly focus
Located in Pune and spanning some 40,000 square metres, the new facility is the first in the company to be a Zero Liquid Discharge site, which means that all of its waste water is purified and recycled at the end of the treatment cycle.
Additionally, it uses LED lighting throughout the site to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, and the installation of solar panels is also in planning and on the way.
“[This is in line] with our 100% renewable energy target, the target date for [which] to be realised is 2025,” Paramita Sarkar, Givaudan Commercial Director, Flavours, South Asia told FoodNavigator-Asia.
“[We have also set other targets, which] include a 15% reduction in water use per tonne of product, by 2020, and Science Based Targets on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
“Also, we have committed to reducing absolute Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 30% between 2015 and 2030, and [will] work to reduce Scope 3 GHG emissions by 20% over the same time period. [All of these are] within our A Sense of Tomorrow sustainability programme [and the Givaudan Climate Action Agenda].”
She added that the facility aims to support the growth of the company’s food and beverage business across all segments and categories. It will strengthen Givaudan’s capabilities in liquids compounding, powder blending, emulsions, process flavours and spray drying.
Givaudan’s Indian focus
The company also said that this facility was its largest investment in India, and its launch and reaffirmation of Givaudan’s plans to grow its Asia Pacific business further, especially in the country.
“India is a key high growth market for Givaudan. This major investment, our biggest in India, reflects India’s importance to Givaudan, and is part of our overall 2020 strategy of investment in high growth markets,” said Sarkar.
Givaudan APAC Commercial Head, Flavours, Monila Kothari added: “Over the last few years, there has been tremendous growth in the food and beverage industry in India and we have seen sustainable growth in this market.
“Given this rapid transformation, we need to be agile to address the needs of these markets and this new manufacturing facility in India is designed to cater to this.
In response to queries about Givaudan’s most-successful product in India, Sarkar said that: “There is no one key winning flavour or flavours. Indian consumers are evolving and asking for more non-traditional off-beat flavours, fusion and exotic directions.”
“The reason for this is clearly that Indian consumers are becoming more exposed to the western culture and show the inclination to move with key global trends.”
Other sustainability initiatives in India
Givaudan is also looking at other strategies to drive sustainability in the Asia Pacific region, and especially in India.
One of these is direct support of chili growing communities in India, where the company helps with efforts such as traceability and sustainable production
“A comprehensive and integrated approach has been adopted to ensure that economic improvements are combined with social development across indicators like health and sanitation,” said Sarkar.
“While the selected farmers are being trained in the best methods for farming chilli, safety kits including personal protection equipment were also introduced to safeguard 100 farmers from accidents throughout the crop cycle.
“These activities are part of what we call sourcing for shared value. It benefits everyone engaged in the production and supply of chilli and allows us to meet our customers’ demand for inspirational flavours.”
