Solvay Launches the First ISCC PLUS Certified Mass Balance Vanillin

Premium Beauty News (Photo : Courtesy of Solvay)

29 January 2023

Solvay Launches the First ISCC PLUS Certified Mass Balance Vanillin

In order to meet consumers and brand owner demands for enhanced sustainability and reduced carbon footprint, Solvay has launched the first certified vanillin based on mass balance standards in the market.

Obtained in late 2022, the ISCC PLUS certification [1] confirms the controlled use and traceability of renewable feedstock in the company’s vanillin. The goal is to replace fossil resources used to manufacture this substance with renewable carbon (used cooking oils, vegetable oils and wastes), thus helping brand owners meet the growing demand for more sustainable and circular ingredients as they strive to minimize their environmental impact, reduce fossil-based raw materials consumption and carbon footprint.

The certification is applicable to the production of the Rhovanil vanillin at Solvay’s Saint-Fons plant in France.

“As a world leader in advanced vanillin technology, we have a strategy to offer natural and sustainable ingredients in the food and fragrances markets. We are very proud to offer new solutions to our customers with this world’s first ISCC PLUS mass balance certified range of high-purity vanillin,” says Jo Grosemans, Solvay Natural Growth Director.

Solvay’s Rhovanil is primarily used in food and flavor applications and widely used in home and personal care fragrances.

“Our new Rhovanil MB solution is now commercial. It can be used as immediate drop-in replacements of incumbent products,” adds Maud Joassard, Marketing Manager at Solvay.

The replacement of primary fossil resources by mass balance certified renewable feedstock aligns with the Solvay One Planet roadmap to continuously improve the sustainability of Solvay’s operations while also helping customers reduce their indirect emissions from their suppliers [2].

As part of this journey, Rhovanil MB can make a significant contribution to the efforts of major players in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry seeking carbon neutrality by 2040 or earlier.

Footnotes

[1] Mass balance concept according to the ISCC PLUS principles has become a globally acknowledged industry standard that provides a defined set of rules for tracking and tracing the content of circular and renewable feedstock in materials and end products. As a result, users of certified materials can claim a reduced carbon footprint for their formulations, and brand owners can document the enhanced sustainability toward consumers.

[2] Within the framework of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP), Solvay’s own operations to reduce carbon footprint include the Scope 1 and 2 while also helping customers reduce their Scope 3 (indirect) emissions. Scope 1 refers to direct emissions from in-house production processes, Scope 2 to indirect emissions from purchased energy, and Scope 3 to all other indirect emissions from upstream and downstream sources, such as material supplies, packaging and transportation.