9th June 2023

To strengthen the credibility of Bonsucro and our assurance system, we regularly review and update our rules and documents. Today, we published an addendum to version six of the Certification Protocol to say that Bonsucro reserves the right to monitor, observe, and investigate the audit process and findings of any organisation that we consider high risk.

The addendum guarantees that Bonsucro, or an individual/organisation representing Bonsucro, can visit an organisation that is a member of Bonsucro, applying for certification, or a certificate holder, for monitoring in relation to our certification system. During such a visit, access to facilities, sites, data, personnel, and processes related to the scope of certification will need to be available.

Those additional requirements apply to:

• All applicants to certification, certificate holders, operators, members, and certification bodies
• All scopes of the Bonsucro Certification System

The addendum is binding from 1 July 2023 and will remain in force until a new certification protocol is launched.

We have requested that all certification bodies communicate this information to their clients by 30 June 2023. In addition, certification bodies will need to have written evidence of these additional requirements by 31 July 2023, which includes a newly signed contract with their clients.

This change to the Certification Protocol is part of a wider scope of work to ensure that Bonsucro’s assurance system is robust and in-line with international best practices, that includes a revision of the Certification Protocol later in the year, when we roll out version 5.2 of the Bonsucro Production Standard. We are also investing in new training materials for producers and certification bodies. We strive to strengthen our relationships with our members and certification bodies.

You can download the new addendum in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.