Although the importance of sustainable development is just recently being embraced by consumers, some flavor and fragrance suppliers have been invested in these practices for years. Treatt, for example, has been working with the Segoma village in Tanzania for over 80 years to produce bitter orange oil. In addition to providing the villagers with jobs, Treatt has made an effort to help improve the village’s quality of life. The company recently returned to Africa with educational donations, and has fixed the roof of the village school and built accommodation for the school teachers. For a video of Segoma, click here.
TFS, a company that produces and manages Indian sandalwood (Santalum album), provides another example of sustainable development. The company has established over 1,100 hectares of sandalwood in Kununurra, Western Australia’s tropical Kimberley region. In addition, last year the company purchased the Kingston Rest property, which adds a further 3,600 hectares of land to the cultivation of sandalwood. When TFS was approached by a film company requesting permission to film Baz Luhrmann’s Australia on the property, TFS decided to donate the $1,000/day payment to the Clontarf Foundation. This program is designed to encourage education, good health and relationship building with indigenous youth. In addition, TSF has committed to expand its existing training and employment opportunities for indigenous Australians.
