Responsible Conduct is at the Core of Our Culture
We are proud of what our company stands for, the relationships we have built and the trust we share with our stakeholders. We strive to adhere to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, honesty and respect in our dealings with each other and our business partners.
our leadership
Our commitment to good corporate governance starts with our Board of Directors and Executive Committee (EC) and is supported by a strong governance framework. We have a robust program to ensure compliance with all company policies, applicable laws and regulations, as outlined in our governance documents and charters.
All EC members, including our CEO, are responsible for managing the Company’s impacts on the economy, environment, and people and they provide regular updates to the Board describing these impacts. They also integrate environmental, social and governance considerations into IFF’s operations, management approaches, policies, strategic direction, and innovation pipeline to deliver sustainable and equitable solutions that meet the needs of IFF’s internal and external stakeholders while driving sales growth.
We are a company of passionate people and our success depends on keeping everyone engaged and inspired. This is why we focus on creating a workplace where everyone is welcomed and empowered to succeed. Ensuring that our working environments are safe is also critical and we are committed to our employees’ health and safety.
We are committed to acting ethically and have strict compliance policies in place. Our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics serves as a compass outlining the general ethical and workplace standards and policies to which all our employees are expected to adhere. It lays out our policies on workplace safety, protecting confidential information and diversity and inclusion.
IFF Compliance Hotline: SpeakUp
We take seriously any violations of the Code of Conduct, IFF policies and applicable laws and regulations, or any other issues that might compromise the health and safety of our employees or the reputation of IFF.
Anyone who has knowledge of potential misconduct, unethical activity or violations of the Code, IFF policies, procedures, and/or applicable laws and regulations – or anyone who has knowledge of attempts to conceal such activity – must promptly “SpeakUp” using one of the following channels, as described in our “SpeakUp: Reporting Concerns & Non-Retaliation Policy.” When making a report online, individuals will have the option to request anonymity if allowed under local law. Reprisal, retaliation or subsequent discrimination against any person who in good faith raises a concern or reports possible misconduct is strictly forbidden at IFF. We are committed to reviewing and investigating all credible allegations.
Information Security
Defending our organization against today’s increasing and persistent cyber threats is of utmost importance at IFF. Our Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for delivering on the Company’s global information technology (IT) strategy and the digital technology transformation program, as well as overseeing infrastructure, data, application delivery and end user services. Information Security (InfoSec) is led by the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), governed by the InfoSec Steering Committee, and aligned to the US NIST Cybersecurity Framework. The CIO and CISO provide at least annual updates on IT and InfoSec initiatives to the full Board and quarterly updates to the Audit Committee. Two members of our Board and Audit Committee have experience in Cybersecurity.
Information security is a shared responsibility, and to best protect our network, computers, and data from threats, we rely on our employees to be our first line of defense. Our corporate employees complete annual mandatory InfoSec training.
Information security tools are in place to deter threat actors, block malicious/phishing emails and avoid IT system interruptions. While we have not experienced a material Information Security breach over the last three years, in the event of an incident or breach, we would follow our comprehensive InfoSec Incident Response Plan, which provides guidance for detecting, containing, eradicating and recovering from potential incidents. We maintain Cybersecurity insurance and regularly evaluate the effectiveness of our systems and test our contingency plans by conducting vulnerability analyses and information security tabletop exercises.
Quality is central to everything we do at IFF. It is the basis of the value we create for our customers, shareholders, suppliers, employees and consumers of the thousands of products we make every day. We actively support the use of safe, responsibly produced products that respect the environment and enrich the lives of consumers, as outlined in our Global Quality Policy.
Our Culture of Quality program seeks to drive continuous improvement while fostering a culture of learning and execution, thereby enabling and empowering employees to solve problems and focus on the long-term solutions necessary to meet our Company’s strategy.
Product and Service Labeling
As expectations around product labeling transparency continue to grow, IFF is committed to ensuring adherence to the entire regulatory landscape. This includes combining governmental authority requirements with industry self-regulatory policies and our own internal IFF protocols. We carefully consider customer restrictions, including engaging customers in advance of any required implementation dates for product and service labeling.
IFF is also committed to working with key industry organizations, governmental authorities and customers to share the appropriate technical information about our products and ensure that ingredients are evaluated on a risk-based scientific basis.