Complaints and Grievances

Bonsucro convenes the sugarcane sector to drive sustainability – for farmers, millers, buyers and end users.

It’s important that we are held and hold members to account.  Our complaints management ecosystem provides a space for stakeholders to complain about the action or inaction of others, in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. Raising awareness of or reporting incidents is key to promoting continuous improvement and maintaining a successful assurance system.

All members must adhere to our Code of Conduct, which includes having a Grievance Mechanism and/or work with an external grievance mechanism. As part of the code, Bonsucro has a complaints management ecosystem, with a Grievance Mechanism as one of the options. All options can be found below.

Bonsucro Grievance Mechanism

Complaints about Bonsucro members can be submitted to the Bonsucro Grievance Mechanism. We recommend you first contact the member directly and try to resolve the issue via their own Grievance Mechanism. All organisations approved to be a Bonsucro member must have a Grievance Mechanism and/or work with an external grievance mechanism as per Bonsucro Code of Conduct Implementation Guidelines. If this fails, you can submit a complaint to Bonsucro via our Grievance Mechanism.

Complaints will be dealt with by experts appointed by an independent, external service provider –the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR). To remain independent, Bonsucro will not be involved in handling or making decisions on the outcome of complaints but will be kept informed of all relevant dates and timescales.  The Bonsucro Board will take action based on the independent adjudicator’s recommendation in line with our policies.

The process is available in English and Spanish.

Summary   el resumen   o resumo
Grievance Mechanism Rules
Submit a Complaint

 

Submitting a complaint

As an individual or an organisation, you have a range of options to reach out to Bonsucro or another organisation. The options on this webpage is a non-exhaustive list and you might wish to engage with other organisations to report an incident or file a complaint.

Who is the complaint about?Preferred optionOther options
Candidate memberContact Bonsucro as part of the public candidacy period
Bonsucro memberContact the Bonsucro member via their own Grievance MechanismBonsucro Grievance Mechanism
Bonsucro certificate holder or member applying for certificationContact the Bonsucro member via their own Grievance MechanismBonsucro Grievance Mechanism
or
Contact the Certification Body
Bonsucro Licensed Certification Body/auditor(s)Contact the Certification BodyContact Bonsucro with the requested information:
- Click here if you are the client of the Certification Body
- Click here if you are a third-party organisation or individual
BonsucroContact Bonsucro with the requested information. To help identify the most suitable options, please indicate whether you are:
- Bonsucro candidate member
- Bonsucro member
- Bonsucro Licensed Certification Body (or applicant)
- Bonsucro Licensed Training Provider
- Third-party organisation or individual
- Reporting to a third-party organisation
Contact ISEAL
or
Contact EU Commission (for concerns regarding implementation of EU RED)

Note that submitting a complaint doesn’t automatically lead to remedy. Investigations and decision making might take some time, including when the information is limited, contradictory or inaccurate. Bonsucro commits to giving you options to voice your concerns and raise complaints, however we can only consider the ones that are in scope of our actions / mission.

 

As part of the launch of our complaints management system in 2020, Bonsucro held webinars introducing the new system.

Complaints and Grievances Management System WebinarSistema de Gestión de Quejas y Reclamos AgostoSistema de Gestão de Denúncias e Reclamações Webinar

 

Definitions

Definition
Grievance MechanismThe Bonsucro Grievance Mechanism, managed by CEDR, is one of the various options made available to individuals and organisations wishing to report or complain about the actions of a Bonsucro Member. The Grievance Mechanism is a process of mediation and working towards resolution which is carried out by an external, independent provider, allowing Bonsucro to remain independent.
Candidate memberBefore joining Bonsucro as a full member, organisations undergo a 30-day candidacy period. Members of the public can share their views with Bonsucro during this period. Access Candidate Members list here and click on the name of the organisation you would like to comment about. This will prompt you to fill in an online form.
Bonsucro memberBonsucro has a large membership across the sugarcane value chain. Our members must comply with our Code of Conduct. You can find a list of Bonsucro members here.
Certificate holderA Bonsucro Member can choose to apply for certification (audit by an independent Licensed Certification Body) against one or more of the Bonsucro Standards. If successful, the Bonsucro Member becomes a Certificate Holder. You can find a list of certificate holders here.
Certification BodyBonsucro Licensed Certification Bodies deliver audits and certification for our members. Their Bonsucro expertise, combined with local knowledge of the sugarcane sector gives you the best service to progress on your certification journey. You can find the details of our trusted third-party certification bodies here.

Resources

Using third parties to support the design and implementation of grievance mechanisms
Current cases submitted to our grievance mechanism
Bonsucro Grievance Mechanism FAQs
Promoting workers and community voices