The Bonsucro Production Standard sets out a definition of what sustainable cane production should look like, providing a comprehensive metric tool for sustainable farming and milling. We want to maximise the impact the Standard has on the future of the sugarcane sector and enhance the value added for the producers who implement, use and comply with it.
We revised the Standard to ensure that it is still as robust, credible and comprehensive as possible. The Bonsucro Production Standard v5.1 was published in January 2022.
For information regarding the interim revision of v5.1 and the publication of v5.2, click here.
We gained a greater understanding of the sustainability issues present in sugarcane production and processing, and what can be achieved with certification. We also monitored the feedback on the Bonsucro Production Standard and Calculator, ranging from small (spelling or grammar mistakes in the Standard) all the way to fundamental (indicators not being relevant or not going far enough). The objective of this Standard Revision is to capture all this information and priorities set by our stakeholders to bring them into the revised Standard.
| Terms of Reference of the Standard Revision Working Group | Standard Development and Revision Procedure | Terms of Reference for Production Standard Revision |
Timeline
| Phase | Timeline | Action |
| 1: Pre-consultation | April – May 2019 | The secretariat conducted pre-consultation with the whole membership/stakeholder base, to establish the scope of the revision, the issues the revision should consider, if existing indicators are fit for purpose and incorporate all known issues identified between standard revision period. The pre consultation will consisted of three information gathering processes: - Pre-consultation workshop during Bonsucro Global Week 2019 - Online survey for stakeholders / membership - Analysis of clarification questions / interpretation notes / updates ticketing. The online pre consultation survey focused on: - Focus of the Standard (structure, how it looks to implement change, etc) - Strengthening / Introducing new requirements to the Standard - Review of all indicators - Free text to collect views on what to include in the Bonsucro Production Standard. Results from the pre-consultation survey – Standard Revision Working Group presentation Resultados de la pre consulta sobre la revisión del Estánder de Bonscuro |
| 2: Standard Development Phase | July 2019 – March 2020 | The Standard Revision Working Group and the Bonsucro Secretariat worked on the development of the version 5 of the Production Standard and Bonsucro Calculator using the scope of the Standard Revision developed by the Technical Advisory Board. This was the main phase of the Standard Development and it will be where issues are highlighted and indicators developed. |
| 3: Public Consultation | April – July 2020 | After the launch of first draft of the Production Standard and Calculator, there was a 60 days’ public comment period. In order to ensure that we consulted by all of the parties, Bonsucro secretariat: - Translated the Draft Bonsucro Production Standard into Spanish and Portuguese - Held webinars to explain the main changes and how to make comments (in 3 languages) - Set consultation response targets All comments were publicly available (anonymised). Summary of comments – Bonsucro Production Standard |
| 4: 2nd Development Development phase & 2nd Public Consultation | September 2020 – July 2021 | Comments received during the 60 days were analysed and shared with the Standard Revision Working Group and the Technical Advisory Board. These involved the second and potentially last stage of the development of the Standard and calculator. A second draft was developed and published online for a second round of comments and undertake pilot audits. |
| 5: Pilot Audits | August – December 2021 | After the release of the second draft of the public consultation, pilot audits were carried out in different regions to test out the auditibility of the revised standard and calculator. |
Who was involved?
The Standard Revision Working Group (SRWG) was comprised of 9-12 members; 5 to 8 independent experts, 1 CB expert, 2 MC designated members and 1 TAB designated member. The responsibilities of the group included:
- Approving the Terms of Reference
- Discussing and making recommendation on development work
- Analysing and consolidating inputs from stakeholders
- Making decisions on the content of the standard (indicator level)
- Approving draft versions of Bonsucro Standards.
*Job titles correct at April 2019
Minutes of the Standard Revision Working Group meetings:
| July 2019 | October 2020 | December 2020 | March 2021 | July 2021 |
In addition to the SRWG, there was significant input from Bonsucro’s governance bodies and stakeholders.
Our independent Board of Directors oversaw the revision process, providing strategic direction and approving the final version of the Standard.
The Technical Advisory Board (TAB) played a big role in verifying a respectable revision process, preparing the Terms of Reference, approving the work program of the revision, selecting the SRWG, and analysing and consolidating inputs from stakeholders.
The Members’ Council provided views, advice, recommendations and informed opinions to the TAB and Working Group.
The Bonsucro Secretariat coordinated the Standard revision and its different phases, working with external experts, and analysing and consilidating the inputs from stakeholders to draft an updated Standard.
We consulted with a variety of stakeholders including producers, technical assistants, NGOs, processors, traders, retailers, governmental institutions, representatives of workers and communities. They were invited to participate and give feedback in consultations, as well as assisting Bonsucro to develop meaningful consultation sessions with impacted stakeholders.
Working with the experts
To ensure that the revised standard drives notable positive impact, we heard from a variety of experts.
We received technical support for the revision of the indicators relating to GHG emissions and the underlying life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. South Pole was commissioned to review indicators relating to GHG and climate impacts, review underlying lifecycle methodologies (as used in the Bonsucro Calculator), and ensure alignment with the EU RED.
Lifecycle assessment review for Standard Revision
New Foresight completed a thorough review of existing benchmark methodologies that can function as a decent or living wage benchmark methodology for Bonsucro.
Living Wage report for Standard Revision
Other related documents
Bonsucro completed a gap analysis for High Conservation Value (HCV) approach for the Bonsucro Production Standard revision.
Bonsucro HCV gap analysis for Standard Revision
Retrospective
Continuous improvement is core to our strategy. As such, Bonsucro carried out an external and independent review of the Bonsucro Production Standard Revision Process, to identify what worked well and what did not work quite so well, to capture the key learnings to improve similar processes in the future.
To be impartial and objective, Bonsucro commissioned this retrospective to an external consultant, Aimee Russillo. She is an international independent expert in the area of social and environmental standards as a strategy for sustainable development, with over 25 years of experience in project and operations management.
The review was carried out between August and September 2022 and was based on a survey, key stakeholder interviews and analysis of organisational documents. Should you wish to receive the report, please contact Standards@bonsucro.com
