Sept 16, 2025 | Case Study | 6 minute read
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Partnering for impact: Advancing decarbonization in the global flavor and fragrance value chain
What if an enticing flavor or an unforgettable fragrance was also a more sustainable one? Behind the flavor and fragrance industry is a value chain of unique science, know-how, and specialist capabilities which together make each product a flavorsome or fragrant reality. And each of these collaborators have distinct opportunities to impact the end product’s carbon footprint and sustainability profile.
The intersection of sustainability and sensory experience
Dow’s customer, Givaudan, is a creator of food experiences, inspired fragrances and wellbeing solutions, and their commitment to people and the planet drives a focus on solutions with enhanced sustainability—including low greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
The team at Givaudan recognized it would take collaboration along the value chain to advance their GHG emissions reduction goals, so they teamed up with Dow to explore innovations for decarbonization.
Decarbonization in the flavor and fragrance value chain
At Dow, we imagine better ways to solve challenges related to climate change, and we understand that true progress requires us to also support our customers on their own decarbonization journeys.
As our customers commit to ambitious sustainability goals, including reducing the GHG emissions of their products to meet downstream consumer demand for more sustainable goods, they look to suppliers like Dow with like-minded decarbonization ambitions.
In the flavor and fragrance value chain, Scope 3 emissions1 typically represent the largest share of total emissions. By working to decarbonize Dow’s Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, we enable Scope 3 reductions for our customers like Givaudan who buy raw materials from Dow. Achieving decarbonization across value chains largely depends on upstream advancements.
For Dow and Givaudan, collaborating for industry impact was natural. Both recognize that advancing decarbonization in the flavor and fragrance industry requires buy-in along the entire value chain to:
- Build pathways between upstream decarbonization actions and final products
- Generate consumer value
- Maximize climate benefits
Focused on the future with low-GHG-emissions products from Dow’s Decarbia™ portfolio
Dow and Givaudan found a winning combination to link upstream decarbonization actions and finished products.
Dow is collaborating to advance opportunities to decarbonize value chains and ensure that decarbonization is tracked and verifiable.
As part of our commitment to achieving our decarbonization goals, Dow launched DOW™ Propylene Glycol (PG) DEC, part of our Decarbia™ portfolio of solutions that demonstrate a lower carbon footprint. Inspired by a shared commitment to decarbonization and providing a differentiated solution with enhanced sustainability to their customers, Givaudan began producing flavor and fragrance products with DOW™ Propylene Glycol USP DEC and DOW™ Dipropylene Glycol LO+ DEC in Europe.
With this success, and a growing demand for lower-GHG-emissions solutions globally, Givaudan sought to expand their use of DOW™ Propylene Glycol USP DEC and DOW™ Dipropylene Glycol LO+ DEC to all regions globally. This enabled Givaudan to accelerate their decarbonization efforts while delivering low-GHG-emissions products to flavor and fragrance end markets around the world.
Decarbonization, innovation and impact at scale
Credible industry decarbonization starts with setting and tracking meaningful, science-based reduction targets through accurate measurement, transparent reporting and verifiable GHG quantification accounting methodologies.
Dow is collaborating to advance opportunities to decarbonize value chains and ensure that decarbonization is tracked and verifiable. Dow’s comprehensive GHG quantification, using the Carbon Footprint Ledger (CFL) approach, is an instrument that allows Dow to offer independently certified low-carbon products to our customers. CFL Methodology is based on the existing precedents of mass balance applied in GHG quantification2.
When we pair material innovation with a future-focused collaboration we can unlock next-generation solutions that redefine performance and sustainability. By partnering through the value chain, Givaudan is making progress with its vision of a positive impact by driving towards their goal of reducing supply chain GHG emissions (Scope 3) by 25% for Energy/Industrial emissions and by 30.3% for FLAG emissions (2020 baseline for Scope 3), all while delivering quality flavor and fragrance creations.
Decarbonization of our value chains at scale cannot be accomplished through siloed actions. The partnership between Dow and Givaudan demonstrates how a shared vision can guide value chain collaborators to match the right technologies and opportunities to customer and consumer demand for more sustainable innovation.
We continue to work with standard setters, our value chain partners, and third-party verification agencies to discuss how standards should evolve to enable us to deliver our GHG emissions reductions through the products and enable flavor and fragrance industry transformation.
Collaborations like this will help us achieve a more sustainable, lower-carbon future together.
About the article
This case study was developed by a cross-discipline team representing materials and market expertise across Dow, Inc. in collaboration with our customer, Givaudan.
Footnotes
- Definitions of different scopes of emissions according to Greenhouse Gas Protocol
- The methodology is in accordance with Product Carbon Footprint standards, such as ISO14067, the GHG Protocol Product Standard, and industry guidelines