Copersucar receives global sustainability certification
With five Bonsucro™-certified partner mills, Copersucar is now the largest supplier of sugar and ethanol produced in accordance with this international sustainability standard. A total of 7.8 million tonnes of sugarcane has been certified, equivalent to 470 thousand tonnes of sugar and 345 million litres of ethanol. In addition to the largest volume ever certified, Copersucar is now compliant with the Bonsucro EU RED
production standard, which sets forth fundamental requirements for the commercialization of biofuels in the European Union.
Bonsucro’s Production Standard assesses the biodiversity, ecosystem and human rights impacts of sugarcane production and demands legal compliance and continuous improvement throughout the production process. This is assessed against key indicators, such as energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and water
consumption. Sugarcane mills are required to be members of Bonsucro and certificates are valid for three years, with annual audits.
Bonsucro™ is a multi-stakeholder organisation recognized as the main reference worldwide for the sustainable production of sugarcane and derivatives. Certification attests to the use of sustainable practices in biomass processing, ranging from sugarcane cultivation to sugar and ethanol production.
This certification represents yet another step towards the achievement of Copersucar’s mission of creating sustainable value with integrated logistics throughout the production chain, from the plantation to the end customer. “Sustainability is at the heart of our business strategy as an attribute increasingly valued by the market and society as a whole”, says Chief Executive Officer, Paulo Roberto de Souza. “As leader of the sugar and ethanol market, Copersucar is committed to furthering sustainability among production mills and logistics partners. This commitment generates value in every link of the chain, benefiting customers, the environment and the community”.
The five mills that have been awarded Bonsucro™ certification are the Quatá mill (belonging to the Zilor group, located in Quatá, São Paulo); São Manoel (in São Manuel, São Paulo); Santa Adélia (in Jaboticabal, São Paulo); Barra Grande (Zilor, in Lençóis Paulista, São Paulo), and São José (also belonging to Zilor, in Macatuba, São Paulo). These units met the assessment requirements in the five principles set forth in the Bonsucro production standard: legal compliance; respect for human rights and labour standards; efficient raw material, production and process management; active management of biodiversity and ecosystem services, and continuous improvement in key business areas. To ensure compliance with the European Union Renewable Energy Directive the mills have also met eight additional requirements, including monitoring of greenhouse gas emissions and traceability within the ethanol chain of custody.
With integrated operations, Copersucar and its partner mills have adopted a sustainability management model not only to meet current demands and anticipate customer requirements, but also driven by the conviction that sustainable management is a prerequisite for the success and continuity of the business. “This is
an ongoing process of engagement and striving for higher standards, which will be intensified in all the 48 partner mills”, states Mauricio de Mauro, director of Planning and leader of the Copersucar Sustainability Process.
About Copersucar S/A: Incorporated in 2008, Copersucar is the largest Brazilian sugar and ethanol commercialization operation integrated with production. Its unique business model combines the production of 48 partner mills and approximately 50 non-partner mills in an integrated, large-scale logistics, transportation, storage and commercialization system managed directly by the company to serve the domestic
and global markets.
About Bonsucro™: Bonsucro is a multi-stakeholder organisation established to reduce the environmental and social impacts of sugarcane, by designating a Standard and programme to transform the industry. Bonsucro is an industry initiative that has worked to bring together all stakeholders and develop a means of achieving its objectives with the sugarcane business. Bonsucro is a registered trademark in the UK, EU and a trademark in other countries. For a full list of members visit the website www.bonsucro.com.
Contact:
Comunicação Copersucar
Guilherme Pena
(11) 2618-8578 / (11) 99402-0769
gpmpena@copersucar.com.br
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