our perfromance

Supply chain audit program

TRT’s supply chain includes international partners from North America to Southeast Asia to the European Union and beyond. COVID highlighted the stresses all supply chains faced globally. Our raw materials travel from the fields of Asia and the Pacific Islands over the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans then over land and sea to our customers. TRT strives work only with suppliers that our customers can trust work in a responsible manner.

In 2022 TRT expanded our efforts to understand specific environmental, health, safety, social and economic standards that are being maintained at all times. We did this by encouraging all of our supplier to join the Ecovadis network so we can monitor their performance after being assessed by the most trusted rating agency in the world. Beyond Ecovadis, we searched other platforms in 2022 such as the Sedex / SMETA and CDP systems to gauge their level of activity and commitment to ESG issues. These efforts will continue and become more pointed as we move forward.

Economic Sustainability

Economic performance for TRT relies on a safe, inclusive workplace that incorporates Decent Work, Innovation, Reducing Inequalities, and Responsible Production. Our employee benefits package includes fitness/health services reimbursement, training, education, health, personal time off, etc. We enforce numerous anti- discriminatory policies to prevent any workplace discrimination or harassment and emphasize our standards in the Employee Code of Conduct and Supplier Code of Conduct. Industrial responsibility is relayed in the Regulatory Compliance Policy, Sustainability Policy, and participation in the Carbon Disclosure Project and RSPO Certification.

Ecovadis: 2022 CSR Assessment

Ecovadis provides evidence-based business sustainability ratings, intelligence, and collaborative performance tools for global supply chains. Each business across important environmental, social, and ethical performance criteria is evaluated in four specific categories. In 2022, TRT expanded its efforts in each of these areas.
  • Labor & Human Rights: The health and wellbeing of TRT’s people inside and outside our facility is our highest priority. Internally, to ensure this we provide our employees with good wages and benefits plus opportunities for growth. To do this we abide by all labor laws, have increased employee benefits and expanded training and educational assistance.
  • Environment: We realize that our operations affect the global community and this has led us to go beyond regulatory compliance to look for opportunities that systemically change how we do business. We track all our waste streams, raw material use, fuel, electric, water consumption and discharge and emissions. By analyzing these metrics, we have developed better management of those resources and found opportunities in energy efficiency, and recycling and waste minimization projects. In our community, TRT supports educational and community assistance programs.
  • Ethics: Throughout the supply chain, we practice ethical trade and sustainable procurement procedures. To ensure this, TRT has installed vendor audits and communicates regularly to our suppliers our expectations.
  • Sustainable Procurement: TRT requires our supply chain members meet our Supplier Code of Conduct and the requirements of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Certification. This ensures our supply chain members meet our high standards of CSR and sustainable procurement.

TRT strives to maintain the highest standards for safety, quality, compliance, equality and to be increasingly transparent. In 2022, Twin Rivers has earned a Silver Sustainability rating from Ecovadis. This was possible by our efforts to improve our Environmental Transparency by submitting under the Carbon Disclosure Project Climate Assessment (CDP) and the CDP Supply Chain Assessment for the first time; joining ACI’s 1.5°C Climate Challenge; expanding a supply chain audit program; a Supply Chain Code of Conduct; beginning a Diversity Inclusion Committee ; Committing to the SBTi, and beginning development of product level carbon foot printing.

Twin Rivers maintains the highest standards for safety, quality, compliance and equality in a transparent reporting system. Each year, sustainability goals are pushed to new levels. As evidenced by our silver and gold ratings in the last four years, we continue to push to the new standards set and are proud of our accomplishments.

PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY

TRT is in the process of setting goals to reduce GHG emission further and continue to reduce our by-product generation and by doing so, our raw material demand. This improves the life cycle of every product we produce and lessens the demand we have on the supply chain.

As we map our facility to execute the carbon foot printing project, we hope to find new insights into how our processes perform and where improvements could be made. We have discovered innovative opportunities to reduce the impact from our processes on the environment through our efforts to move away from tallow raw materials that come from the beef industry and into vegetable products. This moves us into a renewable raw material supply chain that has little impact on the environment. It also distances us from raw materials associated with high methane production and a heavy demand for fuel in the form of feed. It also enables that tallow raw material to enter the marketplace as a fuel which burns much cleaner than petrochemicals.

Efforts like this add to programs that create animal feed from some of our by-products, transforming by-products into a marketable commodity, while reducing our environmental footprint and installing alternative energy systems; and overall improving efficiency of our processes. We see this in the reduction of GHG emissions since 2017 (our baseline year for monitoring of Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions) in tons of emissions per pound of product produced.

TRT strives to deliver the highest quality product to our customers while maintaining sustainable operations. TRT is proud to deliver projects like this that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals of Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and Responsible Consumption and Production.

Annual GHG Emissions
by Scope (MTCO2e)

 

Non-Conformance Reporting

We maintain a rigorous Non-Conformance Report (NCR) process that is conducted when there is a non- fulfillment or failure to meet a customer requirement. The process includes the identification of the following:
  • Short Term Corrective Actions: (Considering all immediate actions to prevent recurrence of an existing nonconformity)
  • True Root Cause: (Conditions or actions that caused the problem/defect/non-conformity)
  • Long Term Corrective Actions: (Long-term solution plan based on root cause analysis) approach is to create effective corrective / preventive actions that minimize or eliminate recurrence of nonconformities.

% NCR / TOTAL SHIPMENTS YEAR - ON - YEAR

 

Achievements

SEDEX SMETA AUDIT

TRT received a 100% score on our most recent audit.

 

SBTi and ACI 1.5C CLIMATE CHALLENGE

Four years ago, TRT came out in support of the Paris Climate Accord and has since began reporting under the CDP and has joined both the SBTi and American Cleaning Institute’s (ACI) 1.5C Climate Challenge. We understand action may look different for different companies, but the challenge remains the same. In alignment with the SBTi and ACI signatories, TRT is examining our emissions to develop a corporate climate strategy and targets with the 1.5°C ambition, which strives to reach net-zero global emissions by 2050. We are targeting by 2023, to have set science-based GHG reduction targets. TRT began reporting its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in 2017.

As part of the SBTi and 1.5C Challenge we are looking at potential projects and technologies that will help us progress targeted emissions that will lead to meaningful reductions. Since 2017, TRT has reduced our overall emissions by 5% (based on a per pound basis). The challenge will be to continue to make reductions that will ultimately lead to net zero by 2050.

 

CDP REPORTING

TRT recognizes the threat that the entire world community faces with climate change. To increase our transparency TRT joined the CDP in 2020; began carbon reporting in 2021 and started reporting under the supply chain forum in 2022. TRT has worked to hold its emissions in check to prevent any rise in global temperature over 1.5C between now and 2030 and beyond. The environmental impact we have on the planet is reported to the regulatory agencies on a continuous basis and shared with the public in our annual Sustainability Report. The CDP Project is another opportunity to become an active part in reducing the impact of climate change that affects us all.

 

SUPPLY CHAIN AUDIT PROGRAM

TRT belongs to a supply chain that includes international partners from North America Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands and stretches over North America to the European Union and beyond.

In 2021 TRT reached out to our suppliers to understand specific environmental, health, safety, social and economic standards are being always maintained. This most recent effort builds on a program that works to meet Halal, Kosher and SQF standards. We expanded those efforts in 2022 by engaging our suppliers using platforms we currently utilize such as Ecovadis and Sedex to gauge their level of activity and commitment to ESG issues. That will continue as we dig deeper into where opportunities for improvement exist.

Looking ahead

We don’t just say were going to do something we do it! Our Sustainability Goals for 2022 and 2023 are getting accomplished and moving forward:
  • Explore alternative fuel / energy and storage solutions for dependable and clean power supply – in progress
  • Install an electric vehicle charging station – in progress
  • Development of an integrated ESG system that will tie existing standalone system into on cross-functional platform. This will help to standardize what we do, prevent continuous rework of systems and set the stage for better ESG management. – in progress

… and more is on the way:

  • Development of a new hydrogen generation station to provide a sustainable source of hydrogen to our process to reduce Scope 3 emissions and provide a clean alternative fuel for the facility;
  • Work to close the remediation project with the former owner of the facility
  • Join the ACI Circularity Project
  • Join the ACI Sustainable Feedstock Initiative
  • Expand our STEM for women’s internship program
  • Expand our Supply Chain Auditing program
  • Resource / energy map the TRT production process to carbon footprint and conduct life cycle analysis on all of TRT’s products
  • Begin reporting under the CDP Water Initiative
  • Installation of a permit to work system

ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY

Economic performance for TRT relies on a safe, inclusive workplace that incorporates Decent Work, Innovation, Reducing Inequalities, and Responsible Production. Our employee benefits package includes money or paid leave for fitness, training, education, health, vacation, etc. We enforce numerous anti- discriminatory policies to prevent any workplace discrimination or harassment and emphasize our standards in the Employee Code of Conduct and Supplier Code of Conduct. Industrial responsibility is relayed in the Regulatory Compliance Policy, Sustainability Policy, and participation in the Carbon Disclosure Project and RSPO Certification.

PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY

Another TRT priority is to reduce our by-product generation. In doing so, we have discovered innovative opportunities to reduce by-products from our processes. For example, we are now creating animal feed from some of our by-products, transforming by-products into a marketable commodity, while reducing our environmental footprint at the same time. We are also working on a project to reduce the loss of catalyst in the hardening process. The catalyst filtration project is the most significant cost savings project in 2020 and will represent a major economic benefit to the business.

In 2020, TRT installed a high efficiency Filtration System at the discharge of our primary hydrogenation production line to recover precious metal catalyst from varieties of hydrogenated fatty acid products. The Filtration System is a dual filter that utilizes porous metal filter element cartridges to perform barrier filtration to capture precious metal catalyst that is otherwise lost in the process.

Led by TRT’s engineering team, this system will reduce the amount of catalyst loss and achieve significant economic savings to our operation. Cutting edge technologies like the Filtration system allows TRT to deliver the highest quality product to our customers while maintaining sustainable operations. TRT is proud to deliver projects like this that support the UN Sustainable Development Goals of Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and Responsible Consumption and Production.

Annual GHG Emissions
by Scope (MTCO2e)

 

NON-CONFORMANCE REPORTING 2020

Another TRT priority is to reduce our by-product generation. In doing so, we have discovered innovative opportunities to reduce by-products from our processes. For example, we are now creating animal feed from some of our by-products, transforming by-products into a marketable commodity, while reducing our environmental footprint at the same time. We are also working on a project to reduce the loss of catalyst in the hardening process. The catalyst filtration project is the most significant cost savings project in 2020 and will represent a major economic benefit to the business.

% NCR / TOTAL SHIPMENTS YEAR - ON - YEAR

 

ACHIEVEMENTS

2020 was an achievement in itself in the face of COVID-19. During the entire year, TRT not only continued operations, but had one of the most productive years in our history. We also maintained our quality and our commitment to be a responsible member of the corporate and world community. We continue to implement projects and programs to guide us towards our goal to be the sustainability leader within the oleochemical industry. Meeting today’s, and more importantly, the future needs of our customers and stakeholders is of paramount importance. Looking forward, we will continue to undertake initiatives to improve our sustainability

2020 Sustainability Achievements include:
  • Instituted a Pandemic task force to protect, improve and provide a safe workplace while always looking for ways reduce potential pandemic exposure for our employees
  • Vegetable Fatty Acid Growth Initiative
  • Redesign and launch of Sustainability Website
  • Catalyst Filtration Project
  • Set 10 Year Sustainability Goals in alignment with the UN SDGs / Global Compact and the Paris Climate Accord
  • Safety Reminder Program
  • Create a Corporate Giving Committee
  • Began the STEM for Young Women Program
  • REACH expansion into the United Kingdom
  • Instituted the Supplier Code of Conduct
  • Regained the Ecovadis Gold Certification

ECOVADIS: 2020 CSR ASSESSMENT

Ecovadis provides evidence-based business sustainability ratings, intelligence, and collaborative performance tools for global supply chains. Each business across important environmental, social, and ethical performance criteria is evaluated in four specific categories. In 2020, TRT improved its performance in each of these areas.

  • Labor & Human Rights: The health and wellbeing of TRT’s people inside and outside our facility is our highest priority. Internally, to ensure this we provide our employees with good wages and benefits plus opportunities for growth. To do this we abide by all labor laws, have increased employee benefits and expanded training and educational assistance.
  • Environment: We realize that our operations affect the global community and this has led us to go beyond regulatory compliance to look for opportunities that systemically change how we do business. We track all of our waste streams, raw material use, fuel, electric, water consumption and discharge and emissions. By analyzing these metrics, we have developed better management of those resources and found opportunities in energy efficiency, and recycling and waste minimization projects. In our community, TRT supports educational and community assistance programs.
  • Ethics: Throughout the supply chain, we practice ethical trade and sustainable procurement procedures. To ensure this, TRT has installed vendor audits and communicates regularly to our suppliers our expectations.
  • Sustainable Procurement: TRT requires our supply chain members meet our Supplier Code of Conduct and the requirements of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Certification. This ensures our supply chain members meet our high standards of CSR and sustainable procurement.

ECOVADIS: 2020 CSR ASSESSMENT

2020 has been seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and how we do business. Our primary goal in this challenging year is to protect our people, the community and our customers. TRT launched a COVID-19 Response Team once the pandemic became a recognized threat and initiated our Emergency Response Plan for Communicable Diseases. Our team meets daily to assess, plan and take action to ensure that our workplace is safe and productive. Although COVID-19 has changed the way we conduct business, we have not abandoned our 2020 Sustainability Goals which include:
  • Diversity Inclusion Committee formation
  • Supply chain audit program for our suppliers
  • Carbon Disclosure project
  • Post pandemic process improvement and culture changes
  • TRT is developing a new CSR supply chain auditing and tracking system utilizing the Ecovadis platform beginning in 2021
  • Join ACI’s 1.5°C Climate Challenge