FIRMENICH INVESTS IN LIVELIHOODS CARBON FUND TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE SUSTAINABLY

Paris , France , December 5 , 2017 – Firmenich is investing in Livelihoods second Carbon Fund , in partnership with Crédit Agricole, Danone , Hermès, Mic helin, SAP, Schneider Electric and Voyageurs du Monde . This new impact investment fund, with a target of 100 million euros, aims to improve the lives of 2 million farmers and reduce carbon emissions by up to 25 million tons over a 20 – year period. The new Livelihoods Carbon Fund will invest in ecosystem restoration, agroforestry and energy projects commencing next year with projects mainly implemented in developing countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

“ With 2017 set to be one of top three hottest years on record, business should play an even bigger leadership role to tackle climate change”, said Gilbert Ghostine, CEO Fimenich . “ I am excited about this new Carbon Fund, our most ambitious and innovative to date, as it will positively preserve nature, while enhancing the livelihoods of farmi ng communities around the world. By joining this impact investment fund with like – minded visionary companies, we can all scale up our impact together. ”

“The investment model of the Livelihoods Fund has proven that we can build large – scale projects connecting worlds seemingly far from each other: large companies acting against climate change and poor communities faced with the effects of climate change. The results we ha ve achieved since 2011 encourage us to move forward by building on our learnings. This new fund offers an interesting platform to investors who want to have a real impact on climate”, says Bernard Giraud, President and Cofounder of Livelihoods Venture .

 The eight companies will officially launch t he new Carbon Fund on December 11, 2017 at a private event in Paris, just prior to the International Climate Summit. Together, these founding companies will encourage other private entities and impact investors to jo in the momentum to reach the 100 million euros investment target as of 2018.

Firmenich has been an investor in the Livelihoods Funds since 2011, when the company joined the first Livelihoods Carbon Fund alongside Danone and eight other companies. To – date, the initial Carbon Fund has achieved 1 million beneficiaries among the most vulnerable populations in developing countries. Key results include:

In 2015, Firmenich joined the Livelihoods Fund for Family Farming (L3F) , alongside Danone, Mars and Veolia. L3F aims to help companies sustainably source the materials they need from smallholder farmers , while improving their productivity, incomes, and living conditions. It will convert 200,000 farms to sustainable farming practices. The fund will invest 120 millio n euros by 2025, providing upfront financing and technical support to NGOs and farmers’ cooperatives.