Discover How IFF Scent is Using Green Hydrogen to Decarbonize Fragrance Manufacturing
Interview with Jose Antonio Rojas,
Vice President, Operations, Global Fragrance Ingredients, IFF Scent
What makes the new plant in Benicarló the first of its kind in the fragrance industry, and what technological innovations were crucial to this?
IFF Scent’s Benicarló site in Spain is the first in the fragrance industry to use renewable electricity for hydrogenation reactions. This milestone was made possible through a partnership with Iberdrola, one of the world’s largest producers of renewable energy. Powered by solar panels and on-site hydroelectricity, the facility uses green energy to produce, compress, and store clean hydrogen on site for use in the manufacture of key fragrance ingredients.
This new capability represents a significant shift away from traditional ‘gray hydrogen’ production methods, such as steam methane reforming, which rely on fossil fuels and off-site supply. Central to the innovation is a 1.25 MW electrolyzer with a built-in compressor, enabling on-site hydrogen storage. The system can produce up to 100 tons of green hydrogen annually, reducing the environmental impact of IFF’s products and supporting customers in meeting their decarbonization goals. Together, these advances position Benicarló as a blueprint for a cleaner, more sustainable future for the fragrance industry.
How is the locally produced green hydrogen system specifically integrated into the production process of more than 50 IFF ingredients?
This on-site system is directly integrated into existing hydrogenation units at our Benicarló facility, supplying renewable hydrogen for the production of more than 50 key fragrance ingredients, including cashmeran and kharismal. The new setup increases automation and reduces manual handling. Green hydrogen is produced on-site via water electrolysis powered by renewable electricity, it’s then compressed and stored in a dedicated onsite buffer. From this storage, the gas feeds our existing hydrogenation header through an automatic switchover and control system, which means operators do not need to intervene in routine supply or changeovers. This configuration maintains the same validated hydrogenation processes for ingredients while lowering operational risk and eliminating fossil-based hydrogen from the site’s production.
What role does the partnership with Iberdrola play in the long-term implementation of IFF’s sustainability goals?
The agreement with Iberdrola is a long-term, 10-year renewable hydrogen supply contract that ensures stable access to green hydrogen for our operations. Importantly, the contract can be extended for up to an additional 15 years, through a three-year renewal period, allowing a potential total duration of 25 years after commercial start-up. The system installed at Benicarló is a modular installation, intentionally designed with room for expansion. This modularity enables us to increase hydrogen production capacity in future phases as our operational needs grow. Over the next decade, this scalability will be key to supporting further decarbonization steps – most notably, replacing natural gas in our steam boilers with green hydrogen to drive additional Scope 1 emission reductions.
Through this partnership and by switching to green hydrogen, the new facility will eliminate 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year, helping us meet our long-term sustainability targets. This includes cutting direct emissions (scope 1 and 2) by 50% and indirect emissions (scope 3) by 30% by 2030. Looking ahead, we aim to achieve net zero emissions from all our operations by 2040.
To what extent does the new plant serve as a blueprint for other production sites in IFF’s global network?
The green hydrogen facility at Benicarló serves as a pilot project for broader decarbonization efforts across IFF’s global production network. It allows us to evaluate how renewable hydrogen and related technologies can be integrated at scale into existing manufacturing operations. We have further improvements planned at Benicarló, including the potential replacement of natural gas in the site’s steam boilers with green hydrogen. Insights gained from this initial work are expected to help assess the feasibility of similar approaches at other IFF sites.
How do these developments including the
ENVIROCAP ™ system and the cooperation with Reservas Votorantim –fit into IFF’s overall sustainability strategy?
Our transition to green hydrogen is one of many initiatives supporting IFF’s long-term sustainability strategy. Alongside decarbonizing our operations, we are focused on developing products and partnerships that reduce environmental impact across the entire value chain. One example is ENVIROCAP™, our ECHA-compliant, biodegradable scent delivery system for fabric care, which delivers long-lasting fragrance while reducing environmental impact. What’s more, we are also working with Reservas Votorantim for sustainable bioprospecting in Brazil’s largest private Atlantic Forest reserve. This partnership allows us to responsibly source fresh and inspiring ingredients from one of the planet’s most ecologically unique biomes.
Together, these initiatives form part of our ‘Do More Good’ sustainability roadmap, which underpins long-term growth by driving environmentally and socially responsible innovation and helping our customers reach their sustainability goals.
