Alteo becomes the second mill to receive Bonsucro certification in Mauritius

24th March 2022

We’re thrilled to announce the certification of Alteo Ltd against the Bonsucro Production Standard and the Bonsucro Chain of Custody Standard for its units Alteo Agri Ltd and Alteo Milling Ltd.  This fantastic achievement marks the second Bonsucro certification of a mill in Mauritius.

Alteo owns the Union Flacq factory facility, operational since 1912, which also includes the business Alteo Energy Ltd.  Alteo Agri Ltd cultivates 8,245 hectares of sugarcane which, once harvested, is processed by Alteo Milling Ltd– the country’s largest sugar producer and the only sugarcane mill still operating in Eastern Mauritius.  Alteo Milling Ltd also processes cane from other large producers, as well as smallholder farmers. 60,000 tonnes of the sugars produced yearly are premium raw or “special” sugars such as Demerara and Muscovado. Alteo Energy Ltd, was born out of burning the sugar cane bagasse leftover from Alteo Milling Ltd, producing renewable energy to power its operations, while the excess electricity is sold to the Mauritian power grid.

The Bonsucro certification journey

Alteo decided to pursue Bonsucro Certification to evaluate and report on its progress towards sustainable sugarcane production and processing.  Furthermore, since all Mauritian sugars produced by the country’s three mills are marketed and sold by the Mauritian Sugar Syndicate, Bonsucro certification presented the opportunity for Alteo to align itself with other stakeholders across the country’s supply chain, by adopting a common framework.

Throughout its certification journey, Alteo benefitted from the clear guidance set out in the Production Standard, as well as the tools provided by Bonsucro. Production Manager, Mr Denis le Guen, commented on how the Bonsucro calculator is an “excellent tool that gives a good dynamic indication of where we are at any time” to identify gaps and weaknesses requiring attention.

Speaking on the significance of Bonsucro to the team at Alteo, Mr Le Guen explained how “Bonsucro provides the network, and the alignment required to transform the industry. It’s this kind of strategic partnership with the other 280 Bonsucro members that enables a player like Alteo to achieve recognition, even though Mauritius is a relatively small sugar producing country.”

Next steps in sustainability for Alteo 

To continue its commitment to sustainable sugarcane production and processing, Alteo has introduced a mechanism to report on its social and environmental performance, that focuses on human resources and the environment.  This will help to provide a clearer framework and set a stronger precedent for Alteo’s companies.  Great strides in sustainability are also being made in Alteo Energy Ltd, which has plans to increase its production of green energy for the Mauritian grid through increasingly specialising in renewable energies.

Here at Bonsucro, we wish to congratulate the team at Alteo for this fantastic achievement. Speaking on the journey to reaching this new milestone, Boudewijn Goossens, our Regional Director for Africa and the Middle East, tells how, “My sustainability journey with Alteo started in 2017 when I presented Bonsucro to the management team. Evaluating the implementation process and certification achievement with them in November 2021 was a great moment. Mauritius is truly leading Bonsucro certification in Africa with great support from their government and industry bodies.”

We are greatly excited by what the future holds for Alteo’s sustainability journey, as well as encouraged by the positive steps towards sustainability we are seeing being taken across the Mauritian sugarcane sector. Joining us in celebrating this achievement, our Chair of the Board, Mr. Jean Claude Autrey, congratulated Alteo:

 

On behalf of Board of Directors of Bonsucro, I would like to congratulate warmly all the members of the team who have worked hard for Alteo to attain the Certification against the Production and Chain of Custody Standards. This is indeed a great achievement, of which they have every reason to be proud, and which shows not only their commitment to sustainability in sugarcane production, but also their confidence in the future of sustainable sugarcane. Grown in some 115 countries, sugarcane, with its attributes as a source of food, clean, renewable energy, and decarbonisation, is the crop of the future as it allows its stakeholders to address important societal issues.

As a Mauritian, I am delighted to see a second mill become Bonsucro Certified in Mauritius, which paves the way for sustainable opportunities offered through the valorisation of the whole sugarcane biomass.

If you are an African sugarcane producer who would like to learn more about how you can benefit from Bonsucro certification, get in touch with Boudewijn at boudewijn@bonsucro.com