L’Oréal has committed to guaranteeing a living wage for all of its employees worldwide—paying an amount that covers their basic needs (such as housing, food, and healthcare) and those of their dependents. In 2021, the Group decided to expand this initiative to include strategic suppliers by urging them to follow the same wage policy for their own employees. Mieke Van de Capelle, of Firmenich group, a historic partner and L’Oréal’s leading fragrance supplier, tells us more about this commitment and the importance of working together to create a snowball effect and raise the standard of living for as many people as possible.

Hi, my name is Mieke Van de Capelle, and I'm the Chief Human Relations Officer of Firmenich. 

Why is it important for companies to work hand in hand on the living wage?

Working on this with L'Oréal is very important because when companies like ours become living-wage certified, we create a snowball effect, allowing us in turn to inspire many other companies across the value chain to do the very same. 

Tell us more about Firmenich’s living wage commitment

We've made a public commitment this year to become 100% living wage certified. This matters to us because when employees earn a living wage, they in turn can take care of their families and the broader community. We partner on this together with the Fair Wage Network because we don't just want to “say” that we pay a living wage. We actually want to know for sure, with the right methodology across every country where we do business.

Our living wage certification is part of a broader commitment that we take as a company to guarantee gender and ethnic pay equality and to uphold the highest standards of human rights. It's the right thing to do, it's what we're committed to delivering, and we thank you for your support in the partnership together.

A final word about Firmenich?

We're the world's largest private fragrance and taste company and we’ve been taking care of our colleagues around the world for 126 years now.