21st July 2023
As part of our work to improve human rights and decent work in the sugarcane sector, we have strengthened our Grievance Mechanism to improve its accessibility.
The Grievance Mechanism is now available in Spanish from start to finish. You will be able to access documents, submit a complaint, receive communication and mediation all facilitated in Spanish.
To help people better understand the process of using the Grievance Mechanism and what to expect from it, we have created new simplified resources explaining the different steps in the process. We have also revised our webpage to reflect how all the elements of our complaints management system work together.
The improvements have been made in line with our commitment to continuous improvement.
The role of a Grievance Mechanism
In order to respect human rights, a Grievance Mechanism is important to ensure that we are held and hold members to account. All of our members must adhere to our Code of Conduct, which includes having a Grievance Mechanism and/or working with an external grievance mechanism. We developed our Grievance Mechanism to provide a space for stakeholders to complain about the action or inaction of Bonsucro members, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. It was launched in 2020 and put us at the forefront of complaints management and mediation.
We work with a well-established and highly respected organisation at the forefront of providing mediation services for commercial disputes, the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR), who independently administers the Grievance Mechanism to ensure independence and neutrality during the process.
Continuing relationships with credible partners
After three years working with CEDR to facilitate our Grievance Mechanism, we are delighted to be continuing our successful relationship. The new phase will allow us to continue managing complaints against our members, using mediation as a key means of resolution, with the process now offered in Spanish as well as English.
“CEDR has over 30 years of experience of working with dispute resolution in different sectors and regions, with a special background on enhancing dialogue. We are pleased to have developed the independent grievance mechanism in collaboration with Bonsucro to bring more assurance and expertise to the complaint-handling process. We look forward to the system developing further and winning the confidence of Bonsucro members and their stakeholders as an independent process built on expertise and familiarity with the sugar cane sector.” said James South, Chief Executive of CEDR.
Working with an independent organisation to facilitate our Grievance Mechanism is beneficial because it allows Bonsucro to ensure independence and neutrality in the process.
Adapting as we develop
Being one of the first sustainability standards to create and implement a Grievance Mechanism aligned to the UNGPs means we have learned some key lessons in the past three years. As the process is quite technical, some people in our network found the information about the Grievance Mechanism hard to understand and navigate. This was especially true for people that don’t speak English.
We listened to this feedback and made it a priority to expand our Grievance Mechanism so that the process is available in Spanish. We also updated the website to give a clearer picture of our complaints management ecosystem. The new structure offers clearer information on which avenues for complaint are best for different circumstances.
To further improve accessibility, we developed a practical summary of the Grievance Mechanism process which is available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. The document presents the basics of the process, highlighting what the Grievance Mechanism is, when it is applicable, what you will need, and what to expect throughout. It has been designed to be used to understand the Grievance Mechanism process and whether it is the best option for you.
Why Spanish?
Bonsucro is the global sustainability platform for sugarcane with members in 55 countries. Of those 55 countries, 31% speak Spanish – making our Grievance Mechanism available in Spanish was the quickest way to make it immediately more accessible to a bigger group of people.
With our new contract with CEDR, parties wishing to submit a complaint can access documentation, submit a complaint, receive correspondence and undertake mediation all in Spanish. This will remove the need for members to find people to help with translation and help remove language barriers.
Part of our broader work on human rights
The update to our Grievance Mechanism process feeds into our strategic aim to strengthen human rights and decent work in sugarcane farming and milling. We are pleased to be expanding our work in this area.
Expectations around human rights due diligence for businesses and their supply chains are expanding – as are the legal requirements. We want to continuously improve our own processes and adhere to best practice. We also want to support members as they tackle these challenges and prepare for changing policy demands. To do this, we deliver training on why this is important and tips on how to implement effective systems. For access to the webinar, please get in touch.
We also ran a project with the Responsible Jewellery Council and by the ISEAL Innovations Fund to share learning and good practice with other voluntary sustainability schemes on due diligence and grievance mechanisms, making three public resources available. We learned a lot during this project and made use of the learning to improve our own systems.
Continuous improvement is core to Bonsucro’s strategic plan so we will continue to look for ways to expand our work and improve accessibility in this area.
These updates to our Grievance Mechanism are an important step in making the process more accessible, providing simplified information and removing some language barriers. We’re pleased to sustain and grow our relationship with CEDR that offers practical support to the sector, in both English and Spanish.
The updates complement our strategic aims and Code of Conduct, allowing us to continuously improve. We are committed to continue reflecting on our processes and adapting them as needed.
You can learn more about Bonsucro’s complaint management system and the Bonsucro Grievance Mechanism here.
