IFF Benicarló Plant Commissions Green Hydrogen Facility to Support Sustainable Development of Flavor Raw Material Manufacturing

Recently, IFF (NYSE: IFF), a global leader in flavors, fragrances, food ingredients, and biosciences, announced that its flavor R&D and fragrance raw material manufacturing plant in Benicarló, Spain, has installed a natural hydrogen production facility. This facility, supplied with renewable electricity by Iberdrola, one of the world's largest renewable energy producers, is used for hydrogenation reactions required in the production of key fragrance ingredients, marking a significant step for IFF in the field of sustainable manufacturing.

It is reported that the system can produce 100 mt of clean hydrogen annually using renewable energy. The unit is equipped with a built-in compressor for on-site hydrogen storage, which not only reduces the product's life cycle assessment (LCA) but will also support global customers in achieving their decarbonization goals. Jaime Gomezflores, Senior Vice President of Global Manufacturing Operations for IFF Scent, stated that the new hydrogen production capacity at the Benicarló plant represents a major shift from traditional "gray hydrogen" methods that rely on fossil fuels such as steam methane reforming, and is the first step in reducing future operational emissions through technological innovation and production scale-up.

The IFF Benicarló plant specializes in fragrance raw material manufacturing, and its location is well-suited for green hydrogen production due to Spain's abundant natural resources and industrial demand. The hydrogen production facility utilizes solar panels to supply hydrogen for hydrogenation reactions needed to produce 50 key IFF ingredients, such as Cashmeran and Kharismal. By switching to green hydrogen, the plant can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2,000 mt annually, supporting IFF's sustainable development goals—to reduce direct emissions (Scope 1 and 2) by 50% and indirect emissions (Scope 3) by 30% by 2030, with a longer-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions in business operations by 2040.

It is understood that this new production facility is part of a 10-year renewable hydrogen energy agreement between IFF and Iberdrola. IFF plans to make this first integrated green hydrogen production unit in the fragrance industry a blueprint for innovation across its entire manufacturing network. This transition to green hydrogen is one of many initiatives by IFF to support sustainable future operations; previously, the company also launched ENVIROCAP™, a fabric care biodegradable fragrance delivery system compliant with ECHA regulations, and partnered with Reservas Votorantim to promote sustainable bio-resource exploration in the Atlantic Rainforest of Brazil.