Tate & Lyle case study: Sustainable supply chains
24 February 2021
Tate & Lyle, a significant processor of corn, has developed a pioneering sustainable agriculture programme which connects farmers with cutting-edge technology so they can protect natural resources for the benefit of future generations, while securing a sustainable future for their farms.
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Tate & Lyle is a global food and beverage ingredient supplier specialising in solutions that lower sugar, fat and calories, and add fibre and texture. In line with its purpose of Improving Lives for Generations, in May 2020 Tate & Lyle announced a series of environmental targets. Alongside a commitment to lower GHG emissions caused by in-house consumption by 30% by 2030, Tate & Lyle is targeting a 15% reduction in value chain (scope 3) emissions, both approved science-based targets.
The vast majority of emissions in the Company’s value chain come from the growing and harvesting of corn, which led to the creation of its sustainable agriculture programme with Truterra.
Participating farmers are supported to embed and measure the impact of recommended conservation practices to drive improvements in greenhouse gas emission reduction, as well as nitrogen efficiency, water and wind erosion, and soil quality. The first year-over-year results on environmental impacts on land enrolled since the start of the programme are promising.
Farmers have been helped to:
- Increase the adoption of more than 450 conservation practices that will yield environmental impact in years to come
- Lower greenhouse gas emissions by 10%
- Improve the health of their soil by 4% as measured by the Soil Conditioning Index that gauges the organic matter levels in soil; this is an important factor in carbon sequestration
- Reduce sheet and rill erosion (the movement of soil particles caused by rainfall and irrigation runoff) by 6%, keeping more topsoil on the farm
Tate & Lyle’s customers are also using insights from the programme to see the improvements they're helping to deliver on acres representing land used to grow the ingredients they’re using. This impact data supports their own responsible sourcing and sustainability reporting.
Helping farmers and customers to do more to care for our planet is just one of the ways Tate & Lyle lives its purpose.
“At Tate & Lyle, we’re partnering with our value chain to find innovative solutions that can drive sustainability and minimise the worst effects of climate change. As most of our greenhouse gas emissions come from the growing and harvesting of the corn we use, we’re partnering with farmers to help them more effectively target and measure their conservation efforts through the use of innovative technology.”
CEO, Tate & Lyle