ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
The Better Sugarcane Initiative – The Better Sugarcane Initiative – Impacts and Benefits on the Global Impacts and Benefits on the Global
Sugarcane IndustrySugarcane Industry
The Better Sugarcane Initiative – The Better Sugarcane Initiative – Impacts and Benefits on the Global Impacts and Benefits on the Global
Sugarcane IndustrySugarcane Industry
R Quirk, H Morar, R Perkins,R Quirk, H Morar, R Perkins,
G Kingston, W BurnquistG Kingston, W Burnquist
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Why interest in the initiative?
• Interest by consumers and marketers in environmental & social provenance of food ingredients.
• WWF & IFC initiate multi-stake holder programs to link market preference for products from endorsed BMP environments.
• Work in progress for cotton, soy, palm oil, sugar, salmon aqua-culture.
• Best or Better Management?
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Better Sugarcane or Better Sugar?
• Sugar – commodity– Little value adding at production source.– Most sugar consumed in processed food in
developed nations.– Thus little opportunity for consumer to
make choices about source.
• Sugarcane – the base resource– Sugar.– Ethanol, Electricity, Paper, Chemicals, by-
products etc.
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Working group meeting 23-24 June 2005
• Initial group sectors– Finance 7– Market /buyer 9– Prod’n & Tech. 10 (5+5)– Social & Labour 4– WWF 3
• Agreed need for prod’n & processing in environ., socially & economically sustainable manner.
• Goal to be met through BSI.
• Stakeholders will be engaged to develop relevant, performance based & verifiable criteria to describe sustainable practices in value chain.
• BSI also foster implementation of BMP as these often more profitable.
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Working group process
Background• Sugarcane
– semi-perennial grass, replant 4-6 yrs– grown latitudes ±30˚– producer scale “n” x 106 t to <1 ha– large biomass– high nutrient & water use – chemicals– central processing at mills– products – sugar, syrups, ethanol, filter
mud, bagasse, ash, vinasse, chemicals, paper
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Background• Mills may provide important social
services to remote communities.• Most of world’s sugar production (~70%)
consumed in domestic markets.• Sugar production & marketing regulated
by complex of public & private policies & institutions.
• Opportunity for BMP initiative with support of financiers & sugar buyers.
Working group process
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Working group process
Background• Setting the scene (presentations on WWF web site)
– Global overview of sugar markets & policies.– The practices of growing sugarcane.– Global overview of environmental impacts of sugarcane
production.– Global overview of social impacts of sugarcane production.– Field issues - water use, effluents, soil health & degradation.– Habitat loss and protecting ecosystem function.– Occupational health & safety.– Transgenic sugarcane.– Mill issues & co-products.
• Groups prioritized issues / impacts
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Key global impacts & priority issues
• Field environmental impacts– Soil health (chemical &
physical fertility, organic matter, biodiversity
– Water use (water demand, water use efficiency)
– Generation of effluents (soil erosion, chemicals & nutrients in run-off / drainage)
– Loss of habitat
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Key global impacts & priority issues
• Labour issues– Work place health &
safety– Child labour– Casualisation of labour;
~18M sugar workers
– Wage levels
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
• Community impacts– Access to water– Health– Education
Key global impacts & priority issues
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
• Processing impacts– Food safety– Worker safety– Mill environmental
issues• Dust• Noise• Smoke & ash• Effluents (BOD, vinasse)
– Water use
Key global impacts & priority issues
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
The way forward
• Elements to BMP’s in key areas will have global perspective & local refinement for implementation.
• Some thought that the mill might provide a focus for implementation / verification of BMP’s.
• Public policy support important for BMP’s & incentives.
• Blend of public & private finance.• Equator Principles for IFC finance not currently
relevant to BMP issues.• Process for incentives, other than improved
profit not clear.
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Working Group agreed:– To maintain open, honest, respectful
communications;– To develop protocol for external
communications;– To form steering committee reflecting
interests of stakeholders;– On the previous key global impacts.
The way forward
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Goals (re-stated)
• To define better sugarcane production and processing practices to benefit the production system, its value chain economics as well as ecological and social environments.
• To develop performance-based and verifiable standards, and
• To foster their implementation for measurable reduction in key impacts.
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
BSI structure
Steering CommitteeDrives process• 7 members (+4 open)• Chairman
Multi-stakeholder forumFeedback, final sign-off on stds • <100 institutions & experts• Annual regional meetings
Cane production
Cane processing + co-products
Social / community
Technical working groups Propose draft standards• Paid leader + 6-8 experts
SecretariatDay-to-day running• Paid Coordinator• 0.5 FTE Technical help
ISSCT Council Meeting, Durban 16/03/2006
Impacts & benefits
• Concerns (to be managed)– Uncertainty about process & implications.– Cost & finance of management change.– Degree of control of agenda.– Access to technology.– Loss of un-sustainable production areas.
• Benefits– Quadruple bottom line sustainabilty
• Improved profits, maintenance of resources, no or reduced off-site impacts & social equity.
• Progress with Better Management Practices– Australia, South Africa, Florida, Brazil
• Build on current initiatives.