In its commitment to driving Conscious Perfumery and meeting its ESG ambitions for 2030 - to be number one in renewable ingredients and to ensure 100% of its fragrances are renewable by 2030 - Firmenich continues its efforts to build circular solutions with the launch of the Re:New collection. This collection of ten renewable and recycled ingredients is powered by Sylvergreen™, Firmenich's cutting-edge innovation programme to drive the transformation to renewable ingredients.
In response to the need to reduce and eventually completely eliminate the perfume industry's dependence on fossil fuels, Sylvergreen™ aims to convert existing essential fragrance ingredients, obtained through petrochemicals, into renewables derived from renewable carbon sources without any olfactory compromise. This is achieved by using more sustainable alternative technologies and guided by the principles of green chemistry.
Today, synthetic molecules are designed to be sustainable, in terms of renewability, biodegradability and eco-efficiency, using less energy and water consumption during the development process, and often offer a safer alternative (in terms of allergenicity, for example). With the Re:New collection, Firmenich is now tackling the outstanding challenge of sourcing.
The new Firmenich range stands out because all ten ingredients in the collection are renewable and recycled. Renewable: defined by Firmenich, according to ISO 16128, as ingredients containing more than 50% carbon from renewable resources. Both natural and synthetic molecules can be considered renewable. A renewable ingredient is a material that can be replaced in a finite time, on a human timescale (i.e. decades, not centuries). Firmenich's expertise in natural and synthetic molecules allows it to offer exceptional renewable ingredients produced from a variety of renewable raw material sources that replace virgin sources of fossil carbon.
The ingredients of the Re:New collection come from pine. Wood is the most abundant bio-based raw material on earth and pine trees grow specifically in poor soils where food cannot be grown. Pine and its extracts, bio-based terpenes (and some of their unique derivatives), play an important role in the sustainable transformation of our palette to replace current fossil-based products with renewable materials, and are destined to become one of the most strategic bio-based raw materials. Renewable co-products from the wood or paper industries (mainly for kraft paper) are recycled and transformed in our ingredient facilities by our scientific experts into renewable molecules following the principles of green chemistry.
In terms of scents, the Re:New collection increases the diversity and impact of the renewable palette, especially in the floral and woody olfactory families. Anthamber Premium (also known as IsoE Super), for example, is a very powerful woody molecule with a delicate cedarwood note and violet nuances, essential for superior performance and long-lasting wear at a lower dosage. In addition, renewable floral molecules from the geraniol family bring florality to any composition. Its feminine, fresh and aromatic notes of rose and slightly green facets bring a delicate sweet roundness to compositions.