Together in 2020
a message to our customers, supplier, partners and communities
As 2020 draws to a close, and we reflect on the extraordinary year we have all lived through, on behalf of Givaudan, I want to express our thanks and appreciation to our customers, suppliers, partners and communities.
Together we have weathered the storm and shown the essence of what good partnership looks like; collaboration, support and solidarity, and working together to be businesses that act as forces for good in the world.
It was a year of huge challenges for all of us but also one of opportunities.
Together we played our part in contributing to the pandemic through providing essential products needed by consumers every day, while also ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of our colleagues. Everyone at Givaudan gave their heart and soul to delivering in these extremely challenging circumstances. I’m very proud and thankful for all their efforts.
We also played our part in supporting and protecting vulnerable communities impacted by COVID-19. We donated more than CHF 1 million through a community fund, which supported 137 communities in 69 locations, benefiting about 94,000 people.
Our desire to further support impacted communities with longer term solutions was the catalyst for an internal social innovation challenge. We brought together a group of employees from across the world to come up with sustainable business solutions to support communities in need in the areas of nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, mental health and income generation. We have seven projects being developed and I look forward to sharing more details as they move into their pilot phases.
Finally, we produced 175 tonnes of hand sanitiser to respond to the global shortage of this essential product. Amounting to around 2 million bottles of sanitiser we were able to provide the product to our employees, suppliers and essential services in communities, including hospitals, transport services, NGOs and other associations.
While we may have been kept apart by the pandemic, our actions were all about togetherness. And in the difficult moments, it is through togetherness that we can look to the future and hope for brighter days to come.
We offer our thanks and gratitude to you all and send our very best wishes and health for 2021.
Gilles Andrier
Chief Executive Officer