United Foods Company is a pioneer in the food distribution sector, renowned for its rich heritage of delivering timeless flavors and preserving cherished traditions. With a commitment to excellence spanning over four decades, UFC prides itself on creating memorable food experiences inspired by some of the world’s best chefs. The company is dedicated to sustainability, aiming to improve its social, environmental, economic, and governance performance through comprehensive sustainability initiatives.
Challenges
As UFC aimed to enhance its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) reporting, the organization faced several key challenges:
- Disparate Data: UFC operates across various locations in the GCC market, making data aggregation complex. Coordinating the effort to collect data from data owners across different departments and regions added to the complexity.
- Tight Deadlines: ESG data collection needed to be completed within a stringent two-week timeframe to meet reporting schedules.
- Manual Compilation Risks: Reliance on manual data entry and consolidation heightened the risk of human errors.
- GRI Reporting Standards: Ensuring that ESG reports adhered to Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards required precise data handling and structured reporting.
Solution
UFC deployed Ecodrisil ESG Xpress solution, encompassing both its technology platform and enabling services.
Automated Data Collection
Implemented a unified platform for both periodic and ad-hoc data collection, eliminating the need for multiple spreadsheets. It seamlessly integrated data from over 30 different sources, ensuring complete and accurate data capture.
Data Management & Organization
Enabled a structured approach to collecting and managing data, classifying them into periodic and one-time entries to prevent misplacement and redundancy. Data access was controlled through role-based permissions, ensuring data integrity.
Advanced Reporting Studio
GRI-compliant reports were generated within three days post data collection making use of ESGAI Reporting Co-pilot feature. Moreover, developed custom templates tailored to UFC’s specific ESG reporting requirements for various stake holders.
Key Achievements & Outcomes
Accelerated data collection and reduced data entry errors by 25%
Completed data collection within a two-week timeline and reduced data entry errors through automated validation checks, enhancing overall reliability and efficiency.
Consolidated 70% of ESG data into a centralized store
Coordinated efforts from over 10 data owners across departments to integrate datasets from multiple sources and enabled centralized, consistent, and efficient data management.
Reduced GRI report generation effort by 60%
Delivered ESG reports in full compliance with GRI standards, enabling smooth regulatory submissions and freeing up their time for strategic tasks.