SCS Now Certifying Sugarcane Under Bonsucro Certification Standard

Bonsucro certification gives mills the flexibility to sell certified sugar to customers in the food industry or ethanol to the fuel industry under one certification.

Jul 15 2011 --- Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) is now an accredited certification body for the Bonsucro standard for sustainable sugarcane.

SCS offers Bonsucro certification to sugarcane growers and processors who want to assure buyers that their products meet strong labor and environmental requirements.

The demand for responsibly grown sugarcane has been driven by large sugar buyers such as Coca Cola, Kraft Foods and Bacardi, which each support the standard. The Bonsucro certification standard addresses labor and environmental issues that have been associated with some sugarcane production methods in the past. Buyers who source sugarcane will be able to improve upon their existing socially responsible purchasing systems by simply asking for certified products.

Oil companies such as Shell are also driving demand for certified sugarcane products as they diversify into responsible biofuels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has designated sugarcane as an advanced biofuel that lowers greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% compared to gasoline, ranking it among the best currently available biofuels. Certification will help growers and processors qualify for acceptance under the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive.

Bonsucro certification gives mills the flexibility to sell certified sugar to customers in the food industry or ethanol to the fuel industry under one certification. The Bonsucro Production Standard includes criteria related to legal compliance, biodiversity and ecosystem impacts, human rights, production and processing, and continuous improvement.

“Our Bonsucro accreditation fits perfectly with our history as a leading certifier of products with significant environmental and social benefits,” said Dr. Robert J. Hrubes, senior vice president of SCS. SCS adds Bonsucro to its list of related certifications that includes food safety, USDA Organic and Fair Labor, among others.