Firmenich secures living wage certification for all employees

Fragrance and taste company Firmenich has become the second company in the world and first in its industry to achieve living wage certification across its global operations.

In 2021, Firmenich committed to providing a certified living wage to 100% of its employees by 2025. Following an external assessment by the Fair Wage Network, the group has now been awarded this certification three years ahead of its target completion date.

The group has said it will now further accelerate its efforts, driving fair wage practices on living wage across the value chain in collaboration with its customers and suppliers.

Firmenich will provide training for 100 major suppliers on human rights. This includes ten new initiatives, with a focus on women’s empowerment, education, human rights practices and living wage.

The announcement builds on Firmenich's prior achievements including its EDGE certification, no gender pay gap policy, equal representation on the Executive Committee and culture of diversity and inclusion.

Swiss company Firmenich is the world's largest privately-owned fragrance and taste company, known for creating fragrance for brands including Calvin Klein, Gucci and YSL.

Gilbert Ghostine, CEO of Firmenich, said: “I am very proud that Firmenich is one of only two companies worldwide to have succeeded in securing living wage certification.

"As a critical pillar of our inclusive capitalism model, our progressive approach aims at creating a positive impact for all our stakeholders, and our employees are key to making us thrive as a responsible business. Fair Wage Network recognises our concrete achievements in embedding fair compensation across our group and I am particularly pleased this is raising the standard in our industry. I hope this inspires other organisations to join our efforts.”