Tate & Lyle delivers on its commitment to eliminate the use of coal in all its operations

Tate & Lyle PLC (Tate & Lyle), a leading global provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions, announces that it has delivered on its commitment to eliminate the use of coal-based energy in all its operations across the world. This commitment, targeted for delivery by 2025, has been met four years ahead of schedule.

This marks the completion of a multi-year capital investment programme totalling more than US$150 million to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase efficiency in Tate & Lyle’s plants. This has been achieved primarily by replacing coal systems with natural gas-fired combined heat and power systems at four corn wet mills in the US in Loudon, Tennessee, Decatur, Illinois and both plants in Lafayette, Indiana. The Sagamore plant in Lafayette decommissioned its coal system in 2014, followed by Loudon in 2017, then the Lafayette South plant earlier this year. With the decommissioning of the final coal system at the Decatur, Illinois plant last month, Tate & Lyle delivered on its commitment.

As well as delivering significant environmental and economic improvements, the elimination of coal-based energy at these sites means less water will be used and local communities will benefit from improved air quality and less truck traffic.

Tate & Lyle has a strong track record of energy efficiency. In September, Tate & Lyle’s Loudon and Lafayette South plants in the US were awarded Energy Star Certification by the Environmental Protection Agency for the fifth and seventh years in a row, respectively. A new biomass boiler is being constructed at its acidulants plant in Santa Rosa, Brazil, and Tate & Lyle’s Scope 1, 2 and 3¹ greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for 2030 have been validated as science-based by the Science Based Targets initiative.

Sara Leeman, Tate & Lyle’s Global Environmental Lead, said: “Moving away from onsite coal consumption is a key part of our sustainability programme to drive a significant reduction in our Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions. We have now fully decommissioned all onsite coal systems at our sites.”

Melissa Law, President, Global Operations, Tate & Lyle explains: “This has been a huge undertaking for us spanning many years from the first site to the last. It’s been very much a journey of continuous improvement and a real collaborative effort across all our sites. I am proud of our achievements so far and the real difference we are making to the communities where we operate.”

Nick Hampton, Chief Executive, Tate & Lyle added: “It’s clear that time is running out to make the changes needed to tackle climate change and enable societies to prosper. With COP26 taking place this month, we recognise the need for businesses to play their part in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions. By eliminating the use of coal-based energy in all our plants we have taken a significant step forward in our sustainability journey. We know we can, and need, to do more in the weeks, months and years ahead, and are committed to living our purpose, of which caring for our planet is a key pillar.”

Note to editors

Find out about Tate & Lyle’s sustainability commitments for 2030 here.

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About Tate & Lyle: 
Tate & Lyle PLC is a leading global provider of food and beverage ingredients and solutions. Supported by our 160-year history of ingredient innovation, we partner with customers to provide consumers with healthier and tastier choices when they eat and drink. We are proud that millions of people around the world consume products containing our ingredients every day.

Through our expertise in sweetening, mouthfeel and fibre fortification, our Food & Beverage Solutions business develops solutions which reduce sugar, calories and fat, add fibre, and provide texture and stability in categories including beverages, dairy, bakery, soups, sauces and dressings. Our Primary Products business produces nutritive sweeteners, industrial starches used in paper and packaging, acidulants and products used for animal nutrition.

We have around 4,400 employees working in more than 60 locations across 30 countries. Tate & Lyle’s purpose is Improving Lives for Generations and through our purpose we believe we can successfully grow our business and have a positive impact on society. We live our purpose in three ways, by supporting healthy living, building thriving communities and caring for our planet.

Tate & Lyle is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol TATE.L. American Depositary Receipts trade under TATYY. In the year to 31 March 2021, Tate & Lyle sales totalled £2.8 billion. For more information, please visit https://www.tateandlyle.com or follow Tate & Lyle on Twitter, Linkedin or Facebook.