Bath & Body Works Supports Local Vanilla Farmers in Madagascar
As a global fragrance leader, Bath & Body Works takes pride in crafting high quality products with ingredients that customers can trust. The brand also is committed to helping protect the environment, enhance livelihoods and build resilience of farmers and communities across its supply chain. A key part of how Bath & Body Works’ advances this commitment is through its partnership with Givaudan to support Madagascan vanilla farmers.
Vanilla is in many of Bath & Body Works’ most loved fragrances and is a priority ingredient for the brand when it comes to sustainable sourcing. Madagascar is the largest source of natural vanilla for Bath & Body Works and provides the majority of the world’s Vanilla Planifolia species. The country is rich in biodiversity, but the impacts of natural catastrophes, such as droughts, and economic conditions pose a risk to vanilla farmers.
In 2024, Bath & Body Works completed the first full year of its social impact partnership with the Givaudan Foundation. The two organizations came together to help improve living conditions of Madagascan vanilla farmers and contribute to the preservation of their natural resources with a goal of subsidizing 3,000 cookstoves over three years for farming households.
In the first full year of the partnership, with funding from the Bath & Body Works Foundation, 1,000 Madagascan-produced, energy-efficient cookstoves were distributed across 15 villages in the Sava region where most of the natural vanilla used in the brand’s products originates. The stoves save money and time spent collecting firewood while reducing smoke exposure from open cook fires.
“Since I started using the improved [wood-burning] stove, I feel like I’m using a charcoal stove because it produces much less smoke than the traditional wood stoves I’ve used before,” says Marinera Rasoa, Sava region resident, vanilla farmer and cookstove recipient. “Additionally, I no longer need to buy wood or cut down trees for cooking, as I can simply use small pieces of wood that have fallen to the ground.”
The partnership is also supporting the recruitment and training of local community members to serve as resellers of the stoves, creating jobs and additional income sources throughout the region.
“2024 was a pivotal year for our company — defined by action and impact,” says Jeff King, Group Vice President, Head of ESG. “We are part of a larger ecosystem and to make the greatest difference, we seek to partner with others beyond our walls. Our work with Givaudan is imperative to boosting the local communities that play a role in the products we provide to our customers.”
To learn more about Bath & Body Works’ continued commitment to sustainability and social impact, read the 2024 Sustainability and Impact report on bbwinc.com.
