CASE STUDY
Sustainability Reporting
INDUSTRY
Food & Beverage
EMPLOYEES
~5,000
HEADQUARTERS
London, UK
SINCE
2017
6 Years
of sustainability data reorganized and rebaselined
6
Oct '24
Executive Outcome Summary
Tate & Lyle modernized its sustainability reporting operating model to strengthen governance, improve traceability, and restore confidence in board-level sustainability reporting. Working with the Benchmark Gensuite team, the global food and beverage ingredients manufacturer reorganized six years of sustainability data, reduced reliance on off-system calculations, implemented new verification and audit workflows, and centralized renewable energy credit management — enabling the organization to resume board reporting in October 2024 and establish a more controlled, repeatable process capable of supporting evolving disclosure expectations and enterprise-scale governance requirements.
Sustainability Commitments Increased the Need for Enterprise-Grade Reporting Controls
Founded in 1859 and headquartered in London, Tate & Lyle is a global food and beverage ingredients manufacturer with approximately 5,000 employees operating across multiple regions and regulatory environments. Sustainability is embedded into the company’s operational and strategic priorities, with established science-based targets for Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions and environmental commitments including 100% renewable electricity by 2030, 100% beneficial waste reuse by 2030, and a 15% water intensity reduction by 2030.
The company had been using Benchmark Gensuite’s Sustainability Reporting solution since 2017. As those commitments matured, so did the expectations surrounding reporting governance, auditability, and executive accountability — and the original operating model could no longer provide the level of traceability required for enterprise-level sustainability oversight.
INDUSTRY CONTEXT
When Sustainability Reporting Outgrew the Original Operating Model
When Tate & Lyle initially implemented Sustainability Reporting in 2017, the configuration emphasized site-level data collection. Over time, that approach created growing operational complexity and governance risk. Emissions and conversion calculations were performed manually using external factors from the EPA and European regulatory bodies — exported, calculated offline, and reintroduced into reporting workflows. Multiple custom Tableau reports had accumulated, and legacy versions were not always retired, resulting in different reports producing inconsistent outputs for the same question.
Administrative turnover further concentrated institutional knowledge among a small number of individuals. Parameter name changes disrupted reporting continuity when system links weren’t updated consistently.
As Mason Mallonee, Global Sustainability Engineering Manager at Tate & Lyle, described it: the organization had accumulated a form of “data debt.”
“We have a much higher level of confidence now in the data in the system being a source of truth where we can generate reports and quickly generate insights.”
Mason Mallonee — Global Sustainability Engineering Manager, Tate & Lyle
A Collaborative Governance Reset Focused on Long-Term Reporting Integrity
In August 2024, the Tate & Lyle sustainability team met in person with the Benchmark Gensuite team at Benchmark Gensuite headquarters to assess the reporting environment and redesign the sustainability reporting process. The sessions functioned as a joint operational review rather than a traditional software support engagement — focused on identifying root causes behind reporting inconsistencies, evaluating how the original system configuration had evolved, and determining how platform capabilities could support a more durable governance model.
Notably, none of the individuals involved had participated in the original 2017 deployment, making it essential to revisit historical assumptions as part of rebuilding governance confidence. The collaboration addressed immediate reporting stabilization, emissions factor modernization, acquisition rebaseline planning, site-level verification controls, corporate access governance, and report rationalization simultaneously.
Administrative turnover further concentrated institutional knowledge among a small number of individuals. Parameter name changes disrupted reporting continuity when system links weren’t updated consistently.
A Collaborative Governance Reset Focused on Long-Term Reporting Integrity
Rather than replacing the reporting system, Tate & Lyle focused on strengthening the operational controls, governance workflows, and reporting architecture surrounding sustainability data management.
Improved Reporting Confidence, Reduced Audit Friction, and Stronger Governance Maturity
Six years of sustainability data reorganized
Six new standardized reporting outputs created
Off-system manual calculations eliminated
Board reporting resumed October 2024
Audit findings reduced in number and consequence
Data integrity confidence restored enterprise-wide
How Tate & Lyle Modernized Sustainability Reporting Governance
| BEFORE | AFTER |
|---|---|
| Site-entered data flowed directly into reporting outputs | Corporate verification workflows review and approve submissions before reporting |
| Emissions calculations performed externally by subject matter experts | Built-in emissions and conversion factors support standardized in-system calculations |
| Multiple legacy Tableau reports could produce inconsistent outputs | Six modernized reports support consistent reporting and analysis |
| Third-party audit communication relied on email and exported files | Audit findings documented directly within the platform against individual data points |
| Renewable energy credit management decentralized across sites and contracts | Credit Manager centralizes REC and renewable electricity tracking globally |
| Historical reporting datasets difficult to preserve consistently | DXP snapshots maintain controlled historical reporting records |
Operational Impact
“The audit process went much smoother, with way fewer findings — and of significantly lower consequence.”
Mason Mallonee, Tate & Lyle
Governance Alignment Matters as Much as Technology Configuration
Tate & Lyle’s experience surfaced several operational lessons relevant to organizations modernizing sustainability reporting programs.
Sustainability Reporting Is Increasingly Becoming a Governance Discipline
Tate & Lyle’s experience reflects a broader shift occurring across sustainability reporting programs globally. Many organizations initially implemented sustainability reporting systems when disclosure expectations and audit scrutiny were less mature. Processes that once supported annual reporting exercises may no longer provide the traceability, defensibility, and executive confidence now required.
The challenge is no longer limited to collecting sustainability data. Organizations must now govern sustainability information with the same operational rigor expected across broader enterprise reporting environments.
ORGANIZATION
Benchmark Gensuite customer since 2017
Founded
1859
Headquarters
London,UK
Employees
~5,000
Industry
Food & Beverage Ingredients
Solutions Used
Sustainability Reporting
Credit Manager
DXP Snapshots
TOPICS
ESG Governance
Audit Readiness
Scope 1 & 2
Board Reporting
Renewable Energy
CDP
Data Traceability
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