Our journey to sustainably refined

Our plan to do this includes 6 main priorities: Sustainable Agriculture; Decarbonisation; Ethical Supply Chain; Resource conservation & circularity; Local Community; People & Purpose

Sustainable Agriculture Sugarcane is a tall perennial grass that grows in tropical countries where high levels of rainfall and abundant sunshine combine with specific photosynthetic properties, which provide important sustainability advantages compared to most other crops. This is because sugarcane belongs to the exclusive club of C4 plants that naturally absorb much higher levels of atmospheric CO2 during the growing cycle than the more common C3 plants. The most productive C4 plants have yields and maximum growth rates 40–50% higher than the most productive C3 species. This also contributes to a lower carbon impact, and sugarcane’s inherent sustainability. But like an agricultural process on any scale, we need to do more, and so we are committed to cooperating with our suppliers to adopt regenerative farming practices that ecologically protect and replenish the land. Our raw sugar suppliers are mills. Some mills farm the cane they process, some buy cane from independent farmers. Those farmers might be tiny smallholders or larger estates. Many are facing the worst effects of climate change and are least able to adapt. If they are to continue to thrive we must work together to help them make the transition for which we are collectively responsible.

Decarbonisation To play our part in limiting global warming to 1.5°C or below, we must reach net zero global emissions by 2050 at the latest. We believe we are in a strong position to be carbon neutral in London by 2040 in our scope 1 & 2 emissions and are committed to building capacity and supporting our suppliers to eliminate scope 3 emissions by 2050. Further, to meet our SBTi commitment, we will continue to target our 2030 carbon emission 50% reduction goal, against our 2012 baseline.

Ethical Supply Chain While sugar is often the economic backbone of the community where it is grown, many of these communities face common challenges of poverty, education and access to basic social services. As a major buyer of raw sugar we have, for many years, used our influence and worked with partners to improve practices and build capacity in our supply chain to support the most vulnerable to adapt to many sustainability challenges. We are now encouraging our suppliers to certify their operations against credible and independent sustainability standards.

Resource Conservation & Circularity Natural resources are finite, so we will utilise them to the best of our abilities. Packaging keeps our products safe for transportation and consumption while helping us reduce food waste. However, we recognise we have a responsibility to minimise the natural resources that we use while ensuring any waste we create is eliminated, reused, or recycled.

Local Community Our business sits at the heart of our local community in Newham and has done for over 140 years. While Newham is one of the most diverse places in the UK, it is also one of the most deprived. As one of the largest businesses in Newham we are committed to continually building economic and social wealth in our community.

People & Purpose We believe an engaged, diverse, and inclusive workforce underpins any thriving business.

We want to inspire, engage, develop, empower and reward our people throughout their careers. We will foster meaningful and rewarding work in an inclusive and engaged environment where our people choose to stay because of the experiences they have at work every day.

This means continually and mindfully adapting to the evolving needs and priorities of our people and the changing world beyond our gates.

We follow the guidance in the ETI Base Code.

For further info, visit Home - Tate & Lyle Sugars: Sustainably Refined