Green Teams, cross-functional groups of volunteer employees, have historically led activity in our operational sites. They are active at most locations; today, around 500 members are undertaking diverse community projects focusing on the broad themes of the environment, blindness, health, nutrition, education, plastics and general local community engagement opportunities. Over 25 projects were initiated by Green Teams in 2021. Also during the past year, COVID-19 was still having a global impact. Where communities have been severely affected by the pandemic, our employees stepped in at short notice to support local organisations. This was funded by our COVID-19 Communities Fund, which was set up in 2020 at the height of the pandemic. In 2021 we allocated an additional CHF 500,000 to be distributed to those most impacted. By the end of 2021, we have been able to help almost 100,000 people in 137 communities around the world. These efforts enabled communities in some of the hardest hit countries to gain access to medical care, such as ambulances, ventilators and oxygen concentrators and personal protective equipment (PPE), and basic food supplies. Where the impact was critical, direct donations were made to enable local organisations to provide food and shelter for surrounding communities, education was delivered remotely and community training was given to help provide future income. The COVID-19 Communities Fund inspired us to think about how we could build on the quick, targeted help it gave and enable sustainable change. It was the catalyst for PurposeLive!, a social innovation programme which was piloted in 2020 and united 156  volunteers from 47 locations worldwide. In 2021, the initiative evolved into Imagin8, a global community network designed to foster connections between employees and give them the structure they needed to begin working with their communities. As our Imagin8 programme scaled up, employees are encouraged to see themselves as changemakers, exploring their personal connection to our purpose to accelerate improvements in social conditions. In the first phase, hundreds of ideas for positive climate action were put forward. The scope of activity has now widened to include improving mental health or increasing access to affordable, healthy products for more communities. One very simple but innovative idea was to promote hand- washing among children. At the height of the pandemic in 2020, our employees saw the need to improve hand hygiene among children in poorer countries. Colleagues in Brazil, Malaysia, Nigeria, The total financial contribution from Givaudan to communities in 2021 was CHF 2 million. Singapore, UK and the USA collaborated and in 2021 we were able to pilot a sustainable, colour-changing bar soap to encourage children to learn how to wash their hands through play. Using our Active Beauty Colour Explosion Beads, the white soap produces a coloured foam while scrubbing hands, which helps ensure children wash for the recommended 20 seconds. The team also worked with a digital agency to create an online game, Challenge 20, teaching the key steps of hand-washing routines. Players have 20  seconds to kill as many ‘germs’ on the hands as possible to progress to the next level. Education is one of our focus areas, as it is vital for building confidence and capabilities for the future of communities. In Istanbul, Turkey, for example, the local Green Team responded to the plight of visually challenged children from low-income families who were starting to fall behind with their education as a result of lockdowns. With families unable to afford tutors, and a lack of books in Braille, the children could only attend online classes designed for regular students. Givaudan employees volunteered to give private lessons to the children in elementary subjects such as chemistry, physics, geography, English, and history. An association for visually challenged people matched children with volunteers, depending on needs and skills offered. Supported by a grant from Givaudan Foundation, the project is a success story that can be replicated at other sites around the world. Having a positive impact on our communities As we move forward, we aim to expand our reach and focus on creating an impact among the vulnerable. For us, this means ensuring we focus on women and girls, children, older adults, economically vulnerable people, and those with health vulnerabilities. Through a better connection to our business and our expertise we can increase our impact on four specific areas: – wa ter, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) – nu trition and food security – ec onomic resilience in our value chain – me ntal health and wellbeing. We are currently defining our ambitions for each of the impact areas, which will enable us to track progress and measure our success. It’s all about thriving together. Our communities’ success and our own are intrinsically linked. By improving the lives of millions of people, we will continue to be a successful, sustainable business. Givaudan fi 2021 Integrated Annual Report 106 Acting as a force for good Co mmunities St ronger communities, sustainable business