Scent & Care | Corporate

White Lavender bio-regeneration project
— Three-year healthy plant program to achieve ‘Plants Sains’ accreditation and authentic certification
— Ensure a sustainable supply chain with lowest plant disease risk, in accordance with EU Legislation
— Provide stable source of income for local farmers
— Symrise with exclusive ownership of regenerated ‘Mount Angele’ white lavender plants

The collaboration of Symrise with CRIEPPAM will result in the next generation of Symrise’s White Lavender plants. They are to be certified by “Plants Sains” within three years. This will secure a more sustainable supply chain by providing partner farmers with healthy lavender plants and complete traceability. Symrise has been collaborating with CRIEPPAM research institute since 2020 on a Bio-regeneration project to produce 100% certified healthy lavender plants.

For decades, lavender and lavandin have delivered iconic agricultural products from the Provence. They represent a major occupation and income for the farmers in this region. Lavender offers a multitude of benefits and goes into all sorts of applications, including fine perfumery, cosmetics, home fragrances and aromatherapy. CRIEPPAM and Symrise have been working towards cultivating lavender in a more sustainable way since 2012.

“In late 2020, our partnering lavender farmers requested us to join the ‘Plants Sains’ system to fight against a chronic lavender disease. A bacterial infection causes it and leads to significant harvest losses affecting the farmers’ income. To secure the Symrise White Lavender supply chain, Symrise took immediate action. In the frame of our year-long partnership with CRIEPPAM, we have initiated a bio-regeneration project”, said Beatrice Favre-Bulle, SVP Perfumery Excellence at Symrise. “A novel in-vitro laboratory technique produces 100% guaranteed bacteria-free seedlings. The technique uses the maturation of stem cells called ‘Meristems’. They consist of very young, undifferentiated, and healthy cells present in the buds at the tips of stems and roots. They can multiply and transform into bacteria-free structures, which will generate a healthy plant.

“This process proved surprisingly successful within less than a year”, said Bert Candaele, Director of CRIEPPAM. CRIEPPAM will now host the newly generated 1st generation of Plants Sains and drive the multiplication for nurseryman partners. “Symrise has become the exclusive owner of the regenerated ‘Mount Angele’ White Lavender”, Beatrice added. “Our partner farmers are looking forward to plant these fresh seedlings.

The “Plants Sains” certification program started in the 2000’s on the recommendation from INRAE. Major lavender producers have carried it in response to a strong decline of lavender and lavandin supply due to disease from bacterial infection. The network aims at producing seeds guaranteed free from Stolbur phytoplasma and all other diseases at the time of planting. Since the creation of the network, the production of healthy plants has increased and reached more than 10 million certified plants each year.

White Lavender bio-regeneration project