Tillamook

Tillamook replaced fragile spreadsheets and opaque emissions calculations with a more transparent, adaptable approach to carbon management, giving its sustainability team greater control over complex dairy emissions data and the ability to connect operational activity with business impact.

Background

Tillamook is a dairy cooperative with a complex emissions profile shaped by milk production, internal and external logistics, production facilities, ingredient sourcing, packaging, and other activities across its value chain. Its largest emissions source is on-farm milk production, making the quality and granularity of its supplier and farm-level data especially important.

The cooperative works with more than 80 sources for direct milk, ranging from larger operations to smaller family farms. To understand the emissions associated with that supply base, Tillamook collects farm-specific information on management practices and uses the data to develop more precise emission factors.

Tillamook’s climate and environmental sustainability work is led by a lean team. A dedicated analyst owns emissions accounting on Sweep as well as  sustainability metrics and reporting that support the company’s goals.

Challenge

Before Sweep, Tillamook’s emissions accounting process had evolved through several different approaches. The team had previously relied on a complex spreadsheet-based model that was difficult to modify and could break when changes were made. Updating emission factors or adapting the model often required external support and additional cost.

A later approach made it easier to provide raw data for calculation, but the process remained relatively opaque. The team could submit information and receive results, but it had less visibility into how calculations were performed and less control over adapting the methodology as its needs changed.

For Tillamook, the right platform needed to do more than produce a top line annual emissions value. The team wanted a platform that could preserve the underlying activity data, accommodate the cooperative’s own methodology, reduce the risk of manual calculation errors, and help the sustainability team show operational groups how their actions affected both emissions and business performance.

Solution

Tillamook chose Sweep for the transparency and flexibility of its approach. Rather than treating emissions accounting as a fixed process with predetermined outputs, Sweep gave the team the ability to build its own calculations, conversions, and data structures directly into the platform.

The team began by setting up a database of farm-specific emission factors and linking those factors to individual farm numbers. This approach is particularly valuable for a cooperative with a diverse supplier base. Instead of performing calculations manually in separate spreadsheets, Tillamook can maintain a consistent methodology in one place. When a new farm survey is completed or an emission factor needs to change, the relevant table can be updated without rebuilding the entire process.

The same reusable structure has helped Tillamook approach its baseline recalculation more efficiently. Much of the methodology, conversion logic, and calculation framework created for its 2025 inventory can also be applied to the 2020 baseline. Instead of starting again from scratch, the team can use the same underlying process with different data or emission factors.

Sweep has also enabled Tillamook to look beyond emissions totals and analyze the activity data behind them. The team is exploring how to connect emissions with operational metrics across logistics, facilities, and other functions, making it possible to show teams the impact of changes in terms that matter to them.

For example, Tillamook has transitioned its fleet fuel from conventional diesel to renewable diesel and is working with its logistics team on fleet efficiency, driver performance, truck purchasing, and broader supply chain movement. By connecting miles traveled, fuel purchased, and product volumes with emissions, the company expects to show not only the environmental benefit but also the operational and financial relevance of improved efficiency.

Results

With Sweep, Tillamook has created a more transparent and adaptable emissions management foundation. The team has greater visibility into its calculations, more control over its methodology, and a clearer path toward connecting sustainability performance with operational decision-making.

• Farm-level emissions data structured across 80+ milk sources. Tillamook can assign emission factors to individual farms and apply them consistently to raw milk activity data.
• Baseline recalculation made more straightforward. The team can reuse calculation logic, conversion processes, and data structures developed for its current inventory when working with historical data.
• Greater visibility into activity data and emissions. Tillamook can analyze operational drivers, such as fuel, mileage, product movement, and waste, alongside their associated emissions.
• More relevant insights for operational teams. Logistics teams can connect improved fleet efficiency with reduced fuel consumption, lower emissions, and direct financial value.
• Improved support for reporting needs. Sweep provides the granularity Tillamook needs to work with emissions and activity data for disclosures such as CDP and reporting related to California SB 253.
• A scalable foundation for cross-functional engagement. Tillamook plans to develop summaries and dashboards for facilities and business functions so teams can see their progress over time and understand how their actions contribute to company-wide goals.